Perfect Soldiers
by Peanutbutter1
Summary: The past is something that Heero was always been without. He doesn't remember having parents or even a childhood. Though the problem has loomed in the back of his mind he never thought the truth would one day come to haunt him. Chapter 10 is up! R
1. Dragon

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Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters, but I do own my characters so don't use without my permission. 

_This is a little odd and doesn't appear to be Gundam Wing at first but it is. So you have to read the prologue for the rest of this story to make any sense. Tell me what you thing please because this is one I have been writing for a while

_READ… You need to know that I've thrown out the Odin Lowe stuff and added something else so in a way this is AU even though everything else happens just as it did originally. As in later when I jump into the Gundam Wing story line everything happened like it was supposed to. So read if you want I think you'll like it.

Perfect Soldiers

Prologue 'Dragon'

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After Colony 189: Building in government protected space of Asia

Troy Mathers lay on his bunk trying to keep his body was twitching and turning with anticipation. This was time and one time only that Troy thanked the heavens for his training. If it weren't for it he wouldn't be calm right now. He had finally found a way out and he was leaving and he would never have to see the insides of this building again. Running his hand over the bandage on his right forearm he carefully pulled back the bandage to reveal a bloodied and slightly scabbed tattoo. It was in the rough shape of a Dragon wrapped around a long broadsword. It was the mark of the Dragon. He was branded. Letting a sigh escape his lips Troy wadded the bandage and put it under his pillow. Only a few more minutes left. The time ticked by slowly until the dim overhead light went out and he was plunged into complete darkness. 

As soon as the lights were out Troy was off the bed his feet landing quietly on the steel floor. He didn't make a sound as he reached under his bunk and pulled out a knapsack made of dark pillowcase. On the inside was everything he needed to make his escape and in reality everything that he had. A change of clothes a picture of his parents; tattered and well over used, and a flashlight. The gun was part of his training. Everyone had a gun. He had never been on the outside before but he knew that it would be better than here. There would be no more experiments no more tests of strength and no more drugs. He would be free. 

He didn't need the light to see where he was going. Enhanced sight of also one of the perks of his training. The only thing that wasn't programmed in was his free will. He was rebellious, he fought them every step of the way and he was sure he wouldn't last for long. Either they would kill him or he would break and do everything they asked becoming the helpless drone listening only to the queen. He didn't want to be that; he didn't want to be controlled. Troy reached up and wrapped his fingers around the knob of his singular room and stepped into the hall. His bare feet made no sound on the cold steel as he moved soundlessly though the dark his eyes sharp and alert. His knapsack was hung over his shoulder. I would only be a matter of time before he broke out. 

He raced down the hallway trying to focus on being silent as he plunged deeper and deeper into the facility and the likelihood that he would be caught heightened. The further down you went the older and more highly trained were the agents. He was on level one. He was year one to three age 6 to 8. He had gotten his tattoo today and tomorrow he was moving up a level and the training would intensify. He didn't want to give up his freedom and he was going to do anything to get out it. He wasn't going to give up his dreams for them. He still had a will. As he rounded the corner the hallway took a sharp incline. He counted his steps as he neared the end and when he reached seventeen he stopped. He hadn't been there more than two seconds when a hand wrapped around his upper arm and pulled him closer. Warm breath tickled his ear as an all too familiar voice reached his ears. 

"We have only a few minutes. Sarah's down the hall and Michael is setting the trap." The hand was immediately gone from his arm and Troy answered back. 

"How long do we have?" 

"Nine minutes. I hope you're as good as you say you are. We don't have time for mistakes." 

Troy nodded into the darkness even though he was quite sure his friend couldn't see him. Silently they speed toward the other waiting two. The guy in front of him was Mace Gilgan. He was nine and had just been moved up in the ranks. He was the reason they would get past minimal security and his friend Michael was the reason none of them would ever be found again. Troy had followed watched Mace for a long time trying to judge the older boy's loyalty and finally decided he was trust worthy. He hated as much as Troy did. The other Sarah was Mace's girl. He watched after her kept her close. He protected her like she was his own sister. She was only six, just newly sent and the best anyone had seen for being so young. Even Troy was impressed with her ability. I didn't take long for them to reach her and Troy saw he holding a small pocket flashlight. It did nothing but cast a faint glow only a few inches wide around her tightly clasped fingers. Perhaps it made her feel better.

"Are you ready?" Mace whispered to her and took the small flashlight from her hand and switched it off. She nodded right before they were plunged into darkness. Mace turned to Troy as the lights went out. "Take this." He shoved something round and smooth into Troy's hand. 

"What is it?" Troy asked his voice barely able to be heard. 

"The back up." Mace answered and turned. 

Troy heard him head down the hallway and he followed. He had only been this deep into the facility once and that was when Mace showed him the way out, or the only way that they would ever have a chance. It had been Troy's plan up until this point. Troy had never even met Michael, another nine-year-old. He was putting his life in Mace's hands and he hoped that he had made the right choice.

The descent didn't take long, but now they were in the eighteen-year-olds hall. These were the newly trained completely brainwashed halls. They did everything they were told everyone of them loyal beyond human belief. They could hear the faintest noise; they could kill anyone with their barehands and hardly leave a mark. They were what Dragon was aiming for. They were the 'Perfect Soldiers' and Troy was determined not to be like them. Driven by nothing but orders. They had no free will and Troy knew he was going to be free. He wasn't going to be like them. They finally reached the end of the hallway and the exit. It was a large ventilation shaft in the floor. They could easily fit into it and slide down after that it was only a matter of time before they found the way out. It had to lead out somehow; somewhere all of them had seen the vent from the outside.

Mace stopped in front of the shaft and grabbed Sarah's flashlight and flipped it on. His voice was soft and Troy was barely able to make out the words he moved closer until his ear was pressed almost against Mace's mouth. 

"I want you to take her and get out. I'm right behind you, but I have to see Michael first. I have to lead him here." Mace pulled away and handed the light to Troy. "Don't make a sound. If you do you're dead." He paused, his face never wavering and placed Sarah's hand in his. "She may be strong but she's still little. Take care of my sister Troy." 

Troy caught the hint of raw emotion present in the older boy's voice. No wonder there was such a connection this was his sister, but how? No one had siblings. He didn't ask question but held her hand and slipped into the open shaft and pulled Sarah after him. He didn't have to tell her to be quiet and slowly they made their way through the building both too afraid to make a sound. 

Mace replaced the screen and continued down the hall passing the graduates and running into the teacher's hall. They were not soldiers. They may know every tactic for battle every way to teach and breed killers but they would never be able to defend themselves against their own soldiers that was there own mistake. Mace was smarter then all of them and it would be there down fall. They had so much blind faith in the killers and tactical geniuses they were creating that they didn't stop to think what would happen if it didn't work. Mace was proof that none of this was going to work. When they'd taken him from his parents only three years ago, it seemed like more than that, he had vowed to escape and when the took his sister he vowed to bring her back no matter what would happen to him. 

Troy may have been looking for someone to trust with his plan, but Mace had been looking for someone to trust with the life of his sister. If he didn't make it out his sister had to and Mace knew Troy's loyalty was strong and his morals too high to leave her behind. He knew he had chosen correctly Troy would take care of his sister and maybe even get her back to her mother. He just had to make sure no one would come after them once there were gone, that was what Michael was for. 

Mace had to more careful with where he stepped in the teacher's hall. There were lights on at all time in the hallways so they could see at night and anyone could spot him if they came out at the right time. His senses were running on overdrive and his muscles twitched with the anticipation of a confrontation. Despite his jumping nerves he made it to the room he was in search of and punched in the security code and the door automatically slipped open. Before Mace could even move into the room a pair of strong arms were around his neck and mouth muffling any cry that might of escaped and he was pulled into the room in one swift smooth motion. 

"Move and I slit your throat." The words were menacing and absent of any real emotion. There was only malice in it, but Mace didn't flinch. He waited patiently for Michael to release his hold on his mouth. "Now I'm going to let you go you'd better not make a sound." The hand came off of Mace's face and Michael flipped Mace around to face him. 

Mace frowned. "Showoff. You knew it was me the whole time." He pushed the knife welding hand away from his face and bent and slunk to the center of the room where Michael had been working. 

"Just showing off my skills to the undergrad." Michael bragged and flipped the knife closed and shoved it in his pocket. "You got your sister out?" He asked. 

Mace stiffened and nodded. "Yeah I gave her to Troy." 

"I hope you know what you're doing. They just branded him and hardly anyone defects after that. You know except us." Michael paused and walked over to stand beside Mace. 

"Well I would have to say you're the only grad who actually kept a mind of his own." Mace paused and starred at the floor. "I would never be like that." 

"Not everyone of them are mindless drones." Michael interjected and settled into his seat and picked up one of his tools. "Most are just beaten down, too afraid to protest. This is the only thing they have ever known. They've never had the chance to pick what they wanted to eat, to choose what time to go to bed, hell Mace they have to ask when they can use the bathroom." 

"You can say all that and still do what you're about to do?" Mace asked in slight disbelief and a little uncertainly.

"Well, Mace, I figure most of them are already dead and those who are too afraid to rebel might as well be. I'm doing them a favor by ending it. The bomb is set up mostly on the grad and teacher side. The little ones know enough to get out when they hear the first explosion. If they don't…", Michael shrugged, "there's nothing I can do." 

"So there are bombs throughout the whole facility?" 

"Pretty much. I left the new recruit section free. The littlest ones won't catch it. In fact they'll probably be adopted into good families and the point is the bastards who started this will get what they deserve." Michael attached one last wire and held up the device. "The last one Mace, this is the one that will take out all that matter." 

Mace smiled. "I've been waiting for this day since I first got here." 

"As have I." 

Mace and Michael both froze with the sound. They knew that voice. It was all too familiar. The only question was how? Both of them started to turn they moved slowly knowing that it was the best way to think of a plan. 

"Better stay turned around boys." The voice stopped their movement as the heard the safety of a gun click off. "I've been waiting for the day when you would rebel. I knew it would be you Mace, we knew it from the beginning, but Michael." The man whistled. "You, I never thought you were one of them." 

"Well, it seems I'm a pretty good actor you Son of a Bitch." Michael commented smoothly. "Did you really think that all of us loved you." 

"No actually we figured some of you resented us. In fact we have a few guys pegged who will never leave the facility." 

"You're going to kill him, Hammond?" Mace sneered. "Destroy your own creations." 

Hammond stiffened when they mentioned his name. "No actually we have a new plan for them and thanks to you guys we now have four test subjects. Two rebel bastards, a little girl, and a newly branded eight-year-old it seems we have one from each age group. Do you think we should try it out on your sister first?" 

Mace tried not to let the words effect him after all he was a soldier he had training he could control himself, or at least until he got the information he needed out of Hammond. "What are you talking about?" Mace sneered. 

"Yeah, Ham man what do you have planned for us that would be worse?" Michael joined in on the taunting. 

"Hmmm…very smart but I don't think I'll tell you just yet. Now tell us where the girl and the boy are at and we'll let you live to find out." 

Mace let a smile spread across his face and was glad Hammond couldn't see him. "So we did get past you, huh, you don't know where they are. For all you know they could be half way across the state by now. You were out smarted and you know it." Hammond didn't answer so Michael continued. 

"I'm guessing that you don't know where the bombs are either. Do even want to know how many there are and only I know how to activate them, or maybe they are already activated." Michael shifted and let his knife slide slightly from under his sleeve and into his palm. "Did you tell anyone where you were Hammond, or where you going to be the hero?" 

Mace smiled inwardly as he listened to Michael. Michael was the master. He was phycing Hammond out even though he had the gun to their backs. Michael was going to kill him and Hammond had no idea what he was in for. It was only an instant longer before Michael whipped around his knife flying from his hand and Hammond's gun exploded. Mace turned to see Hammond falling to the ground the knife having slit his throat and severed his vocal cords. Mace smiled. It was okay. They were going to make it. 

"Good shot Michael." Mace commented steadily. "Now how much longer. We have to get out of here before someone else comes after us. We can crawl through the ceiling until we reach the hall were the grads stay. You know which way to go." 

"Huh." Michael commented steadily. "Who would have thought that bastard was such a good shot." 

Mace's eyes widened as the words reached him. He turned a shaking gaze back to Michael and took him in. He was bent over his hand covering his stomach. Even in the dim light Mace could see the dark blood running from in between his fingers and over the back of his hand. "Michael?" Mace whispered in disbelief. "Michael?" He reached out to touch him just as he slumped over and Mace caught him. 

"Dammit." Michael cursed. "The bastard knew right were to shoot me. This way I die slowly and painfully. Shit." He cursed and leaned heavily on Mace as he looked at his wound his mouth wide as he removed his fingers and the blood ran fresh and freely down his side drenching his gray sweat pants. 

Mace found for once his training failing him. He had never seen someone die. He didn't want to see it now. Mace closed his eyes and tried to figure out what to do. 'Get out!' A voice screamed from the back of his mind. 'Just get out!' Mace looked at Michael's ashen face and pulled him up his arm going around the other man's waist to support him. "We're getting out of here Michael and you're going to have to carry yourself." 

Michael looked up from his stomach his eyes glazing a bit. "Grab the bomb Mace. That one sets everything off if we can't leave it behind. We won't be able to get out in five now. We have to take it with us and set it off half way." 

"What if it too far?" Mace whispered. "What if it fails to set off the rest?" 

"Then we're screwed either way." Michael breathed heavily. "Now stop your bitching and let's go. I'm not gonna die because of that bastard."

All Sarah could see was the back of Troy's bare feet. Her knees ached from crawling and her head ached from trying to see in the dark. She didn't know how long she had been crawling or even if they were out of danger. Every time she lifted her hand and placed it in front of the other it shook. She was scared she would wake one of the grads below her. If they heard her sneaking threw the walls or even if they had somehow climbed into the ceiling they would reach through the walls and snap her neck. She didn't want to die and mostly she wanted her brother. Mace had promised that she would get home, but where was he and how was she ever going to find them with out Mace. Just when she thought she couldn't crawl anymore she ran into the back of Troy as he came to an abrupt stop. 

"What?" She whispered not even sure that he could hear her voice she could hardly hear it herself. 

Troy shifted silently in the shaft and move up beside her and grabbed hold of her pulling her close. "Don't move," he commanded, " Someone is coming."

No sooner had the words left his mouth that Sarah heard muffled footsteps coming from beyond the wall. Her heart began to beat faster and her palms were slicked with sweat as she listened. What if they had been heard? Would they be killed? What then? She sat there her fingers digging into to the material of Troy's nightclothes her eyes squeezed tightly shut. "I don't want to die." She hadn't even realized the words had escaped her mouth until she felt Troy's lips against her face and the soft reassurance in his voice. 

"I won't let them get you." He vowed his voice never wavering with emotion. "I promise I'll protect you." 

Sarah felt her heart rate slow a bit with his words. She felt safe with him, that he would protect her no matter what. "I believe you." She whispered back her words hardly shaking anymore. They sat like that for a while until Troy signaled for her to continue moving. He released her and with a slight smile he continued to crawl. Neither of them ever made a sound and after what seemed like hours they saw light. 

Sarah could barely see it around him, but she could see the outside. She hadn't been there long enough to forget what the outside smelled like. She smelled the grass, the night air. They were nearly free. Her joy was hardly contained as Troy reached over his back and hand signaled her to stop. She knew he was breaking them out. Soon she would be free and back with her parents. Soon it would all be over.

The grate made a noise as he slid it off the hinges and pushed it outward. Sarah froze with the noise it had been too loud. They were going to be caught. Before Sarah could think of anything else. Troy's hand was on hers pulling her outside and into the cool night air. 

"Run." He whispered and pulled her along beside him as the galloped through the grass. 

Sarah couldn't remember the last time she had been outside. You didn't get outside time until you'd been there for at least a year. She had only been there for three months. Everything was even better than she had remembered. The smells that assaulted her system the feel of the grass on her bare feet, the way the air blew her hair as she ran. She wanted to laugh and scream and do cartwheel. She wanted to spin around in circles until she was so dizzy she collapsed on the ground. 

"Don't slow down Sarah, you have to run." 

The harsh words brought her from her dream world and back to reality. It was dark and right in front of them was a fence, one they would have a scale. The top was covered in a think layer of barbed wire. She didn't know if she would make it. 

"How will we get over Troy." I yelled at him as we neared it. "How without them seeing us." 

Troy ducked down and slowed a bit as they neared the fence they were only a few hundred feet away from it when Troy pulled her into a row of bushes and pulled her next to him again. "We don't go yet," he explained, "we wait for Mace and Michael to get out then we go." 

"What are they doing?" Sarah asked. 

"Making sure nobody will ever come after us again." Troy whispered harshly. 

Sarah's lip quivered as she thought of what that could mean. She didn't want it to be true. No, even if some of them were bad, not all of them were. They didn't deserve to die. "What do you mean?" She asked again her voice sounded so weak and small, like the six year old she was. 

"They're going to blow the hell out of those bastards and then we'll be free forever." Troy smiled slowly with the thought. 

Sarah watched the smile spread across his face and slapped him. "Don't ever think of life so cheaply." She told him sincerely. "Those people don't deserve to die! You can't kill them. What about the little kids, they only just got there!" Sarah started to rise and run. She had to warn them, but Troy pulled her back down and clamped his hand over her screaming mouth. 

"Shut up." He told her viciously with too much hate for a boy of only eight. "Shut up and listen. Your brother is risking everything for you and me. We're taking a stand and you're not going to ruin it because you're ungrateful." He held her in his iron grip for a few more minutes before slowly releasing her. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he watched her slink away from him. "I don't know what it was. I uh…" He trailed off and pulled his knees close and wrapped his arms around them. "I just get mad." 

Sarah was breathing heavily as she watched him. She didn't dare move not knowing if it was because she feared what he would do if she ran or because his words made since to him. She just knew that even though she sometimes felt safe with him there was a part of him lurking in the darkness and she didn't want to ever see that part again. She remembered the smile that had spread across his young face transforming it into someone older. It was unpleasant and Sarah hoped that wasn't who he would become. 

"I'll wait." She said finally breaking the silence. "I won't run." 

Troy turned his mop of brown hair to look at her for a moment. His Prussian blue eyes burned into her violet one's. He didn't say anything perhaps there was nothing left to say, but Sarah smiled slowly at him anyway before he turned back to watch the building. 

Michael kept going even though he could feel the blood pouring from his body. He was weakening with every passing minute. The makeshift bandage Mace had wrapped around his midsection was already soaked through and his blood was make small plinks on the metal shaft each time he moved. Even though his breathing was controlled not the gasps that he would have been taking if it didn't matter how loud he was being he knew the little plinks would soon wake someone up and it would be too late for both of them. 

He cursed silently as he followed Mace. He had almost done it. He had almost made it out. If it hadn't been for that bastard Hammond all of it would have worked. He would have gotten out maybe found his parents, maybe found job. It was supposed to work out and maybe one day he would have a normal life, but no that bastard had ruined it all and now he was dying slowly, but definitely dying. He was so busy cursing his bad luck that he almost didn't see Mace stop. So they had made it all the way back. 

Mace turned around to look at him and gave a reassuring smile into the darkness. "We're at your room Michael I'm going to go down first and you follow. I'll catch you if you can't support yourself." 

"The day I need you to carry me squirt." Michael retorted trying to keep some sense of humor. There was no use being bitter the entire last few hours of his life. 

He watched as Mace disappeared through the shaft and listened to see if he made a sound on his landing. There was none and Michael smiled they might get out after all. If he were going to die at least it wouldn't be in these walls. Michael jumped through the opening and landing soundlessly and solidly on the ground. So he was perfectly trained, a soldier even when death was knocking on his door. 

"Give me the bomb." Michael whispered barely able to hear his own voice. Michael didn't hear anything from Mace but he felt the bomb placed between his fingers and he quickly activated it. He couldn't see Mace, it was still pitch black, but he knew the sequence by heart. In fact the teachers had drilled that skill into him. He grinned at the thought and lay the contraption on his bunk. "We've got five minutes. I hope your sense of direction is good." Michael goaded and together they opened the door and slipped into the hall. It was completely dark and but Michael knew where they were. It was only a few feet to the shaft that would lead them to freedom. He was almost free. 

Michael's mind began to wonder as he ran silently through the grad halls. It turned at Hammond had been a fool after all. He had wanted all the glory for himself and failed to tell anyone else about what he had found. Hammond was an idiot and now everyone would pay for his stupidity. Michael would have laughed if he knew it wouldn't hurt when he did it. In no time at all they reached the ventilation shaft and slipped into it followed closely by Mace. 

"We did it. Mace my man we're free." Michael didn't have to look at his friend to know he was smiling. The rest of the journey was made in a hurried silence. Michael had been counting off the minutes in his mind and knew that they only had two minutes left. They needed to hurry. 

It wasn't thirty seconds later when Michael saw light. He would have whooped for joy. He would have screamed his relief if it weren't for the shadow that passed in front of the light for an instant and then was gone. 'God someone was out there.' Michael stopped and signaled to Mace knowing that there was enough light for Mace to see him. Not saying anything. Michael tossed him his knife and he held onto the gun. He had more training with it than Mace did and this would have to be quick. 

Immediately his mind was set in battle mode. He was focused on only his enemy. He knew almost instantly that it was only teachers out there. A Grad wouldn't have passed in front of the shaft like that. A grad would have been more careful. Calculating probability he guess there were about ten of them seven for him and three for Mace. In his mind he ran over two scenarios. One he got out as if they were free and let the teacher's think they had the upper hand or shoot carelessly out the shaft. He figured the first was the best solution and pushed the gun lazily into his sleeve. It hardly fit, but it was dark outside and no one would be able to see it. He hoped Mace would have the sense to follow his lead. They didn't have much time. 

Michael opened the shaft and crawled out for the moment forgetting about his wound. He was right because as soon as he was out five men swarmed around him and held him back a hand over his mouth and his arms pinned behind him by the armpits. Michael would have smiled this was too perfect. He watched as Mace crawled out next and was grabbed by three more guys. So he had been off on the count a little bit, but he had been mostly right. 

"Thought you'd out smarted us huh?" One of the teachers whispered in his ear. "We're not a dumb as you think we are. We created you and we just how to stop you." 

"We already have your bomb Michael. In fact we're deactivating it right now." He voice was sinister and the man pressed a gun to his temple. "Don't try a thing or we'll shoot you." 

Michael smiled openly this time. "Sorry I've already been shot, and about my bomb I suggest if you have anyone tampering with it you back away from here. If you don't you'll be like a nice crisp piece of toast. Everything they'll try will set it off and when it goes." Michael laughed, " you'll all be dead before you know it." The man holding his arms took an awkward half step backward, but the man with the gun to his head was frozen. Michael couldn't see his face, but he knew the man was scared.

The man released the safety on his gun and pushed it closer to Michael's temple. "Shut up kid." He warned. 

Michael just laughed again. "I don't think so." As he felt the man behind him stiffen and he let the gun slide from under his sleeve and pressed the metal object against the man's stomach. The cocked the trigger and whispered narrowly. "You'd better let me go." It was so perfect the man behind him let him go and Michael flipped around and hit the teacher's arm right at the elbow snapping it in half. He grabbed the gun out of the man's hand and shot him in the chest. Next he moved to the other shocked teachers around him. Some of them he knew and some he didn't but it didn't matter right now all of them were his enemies. Smiling wickedly he shot all four around him and lastly turned to check on Mace. The boy was just dealing the last deadly blow to his capture. 

"Too easy." Michael asked the thrill of victory still in his system along with the rush of adrenaline. "That felt so good." He said smiling and turned to look at the men he had just killed their blood running freely around their corpses. He had the odd feeling of wanting to touch it. Michael was so involved in looking he barely felt Mace's hand on his shoulder. 

"Let's get out of here man. The place is about to blow." Mace grabbed Michael and pulled him toward the fence. "We're not out of here yet."

Michael stumbled for a second as he forced his eyes away from the carnage immediately ashamed. "Do you think," He asked crazily, "They put something in us that makes us want to kill." He swallowed almost fearing the answer. Why had he been so captivated by the running blood?

"I don't know." Mace whispered back and started to sprint across the field. 

Michael followed the adrenaline of the battle leaving his system and his stomach was on fire again, the pain radiating through his body and threatening to bring him down. So it seemed he was going to die anyway. Just as the thought entered his mind an explosion sounded behind him. It was only a matter of seconds before he could feel the heat on his back and then a violent shove as the shock wave picked him up and tossed him across the yard. Vaguely he saw it pick up Mace too and then there was darkness. 

Troy grabbed Sarah and drove her face into the ground and lay on top of her. He had to protect her. He shut his eyes tight and told her to cover her ears. The explosion shook the ground underneath him and he was sure he was a goner. They had planned to be well away from the building when it blew, but it didn't seem like it was going to work that way. No more than two second after the first explosion another reached his ears and another followed by a third and then there was silence only the sound of fire feasting on a the building. 

Troy was trembling when he lifted himself from Sarah. He could feel the heat of the burning building behind him. He could smell the burning wood and almost silently he thought he could hear screams. Was it possible that some of them were burning alive? His eyes widened as they took in the building. There was hardly anything left of it, only a burning mass of wood and brick. There were small fires and pieces of rubble covering the ground all around and swallowed thankful that they hadn't been hit. 

"Mace, what about mace." 

Troy turned to look at Sarah he had been so caught up in the fire and destruction he'd almost forgotten about her. Her small face was smudged with dirt and her eyes filled with silent tears. He hadn't seen anyone cry in a long time. Then he remembered the two boys running up the hill and then he had seen the first billowing cloud of raging fire. He had pushed Sarah down then and forgotten completely about them. 

"Stay here." Troy ordered her and left the confines of the bushes and stepped out into the open. The night was light almost to daylight by the fire. "Mace?" He called into the crackling darkness and fake light. "Mace?" His own voice echoed in the night and it was haunting to hear his own voice lone in the destruction. 

"Over here." A monotone surprisingly childlike voice replied. 

Troy swallowed and followed the sound until he saw Mace bent over another boy. It must be Michael. "Mace, you all right?" Troy asked and swallowed when he noticed the way Mace was holding the other boy. He had his hands pressed on the boy's midsection and he was whispering to him. As he took him in he realized that Michael was a grad. There was no mistaking the way his features were matured bast adolescence. His face was hard and handsome his hair was raven black and clung to his forehead and sweaty curls. 

"We have to save him, Troy." Mace said weakly and turned to look at him. Mace was covered from head to foot with shoot and his face splattered with blood. A few clear paths ran down his face clearing the dirt and grim enough to see flesh. Mace was crying his voice choked and cracked as he watched his friend die. Blood gushed from under his clasped hands and ran down the older boy's side. "I can't let him die. He didn't want to die here!" Mace nearly screamed in his insistence.

Almost as if by magic, Sarah was there by Troy hugging him and trying to get him to let go. Troy watched the seen swallowing that lump in his throat and walked toward them. Mace was wrapped in the embrace of his younger sister and Troy pressed two of his fingers to Michael's neck checking for a pulse. He sat there a few minutes trying to drown out the sobs and crackling flames and focus on the task at hand, but it was hard. Finally he felt it faintly he felt the blood pumping through the older boy's veins. He was alive. Placing his hand over Michael's nose he felt the hair escape and warm his finger. "He's alive." Troy whispered his words barely loud enough to hear. "He's breathing." 

Mace pulled away from his sister wiping his eyes with the back of his hand appearing more like a child and less like the confident soldier he was supposed to be. "Michael?" He whispered his voice heavy laden with guilt and remorse. "Wake up man, we're free. Just like you wanted. You did it they're all dead." Leaning over Michael's face Mace shook the boy's shoulders and pushed his raven hair off his sweaty brow. "Wake up."

Michael's eyes fluttered open after a few more shakes and a groan escaped his throat. "Are we out?" He asked his voice barely reaching an octave over a whisper. "Did we do it?" 

"You did." Mace told him. "We made it because of you." 

Michael smiled. "Good. Now I won't have to die in that damn building." He laughed hoarsely and gasped for the air that was refusing to enter his lungs. He was finding it hard to focus on the people around him. "God, who would have thought it could hurt so much." His face scrunched into agony as a swarm of pain spread over him. 

"We're going to take you to a doctor Michael." Mace whispered. "We're going to get you out of here. You're not going to die." Mace started to lift him up and Troy grabbed the other side, but Michael stopped them both with his words. 

"I'm dying." He said simply. "You can't save me. You know I've lost too much blood. You know that." Michael was silent for a long time before he spoke again breaking his ragged breaths to speak. "I'll never see my family again." He groused almost humorously but it quickly faded when tears entered his deep green eyes and ran sideways down his face cutting through the dirt. "I just wanted to see them one last time tell them I wasn't gone. That I was alive and I loved them." His face contorted as another wave of pain swept over him. "I wanted a family of my own. I wanted…" He trailed off coughing dryly and violently until he couldn't breath for the coughing. They finally rasped into a wheezing silence and he turned to Troy. "Do you have that cylinder that Mace gave you?" 

Troy nodded weakly and pulled it out of his pocket and started to hand it to Michael. "Yeah it's right here." 

Michael shook his head and lifted his arm to push the hand away. "I need you to keep that it has my address in there. You, any of you go to that address you tell my family where I was that you knew. Tell them that…." His eyes were unfocused and he started to slide his eyes closed but forced them open. "Tell them that I loved them and I didn't want to die." 

"Michael you can't go. We wouldn't be out of here if it weren't for you. You save all of us." Mace pleaded hoping somehow his words would force Michael to stay.

Michael smiled. "You're a tough one Mace." He lifted his hand and grasped his shoulder in a brotherly fashion. He squeezed and let his hand drop. 

All three sat in silence listening to him breath. It wasn't long before he took one last huge sigh and then there was nothing. Troy hung his head and let the silent tears he didn't know he could cry slide down his cheeks. He grasped the cylinder praying he would have the strength the take it to Michael's mother and father and tell them how great he was. Mace let a tortured cry escape his lips and leaned onto his sister who had silent tears pouring down her cheeks as well. Michael had given everything for them. 

"Grab his other arm, Troy." 

Troy looked up and saw Mace standing over Michael his hand wrapped around the older boy's upper shoulder. "We're not going to leave him hear on the place he hated. We're burying him on the other side of the fence." Mace frowned and motioned for Troy to take the other side. With Sarah holding Michael's head the three of them pulled Michael's body through the grass and finally through a break in the fence. When they reached the other side Mace fell to his knees and started to dig in the soft dirt breaking the grass off the surface and plunging further in. Troy joined him on one side and Sarah on the other. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Mace lay the last of the dirt on top of Michael's body. The sun was just starting to peak out over the trees and he was exhausted, but they weren't finished yet. Mace turned to Sarah who was placing a pile of large stones over the top of the grave and around the entire length of it creating a large oval. She was humming a song that was almost familiar to him. 

"What are you humming." He heard Troy ask from his side. 

"A song from church." She said reverently. "I don't remember the words, but I know the tune." 

Mace nodded that was where he remembered it. As his mind wondered he remembered church. He would have only been about three, but he could see himself sitting in large pews with his parents on either side. He was wearing a suit and a little tie; Sarah was bundled up in his mother's arms. 

"Say a prayer." Mace said finally. "I don't remember how to pray." 

Sarah looked at him and nodded. She stood not bothering to brush the dirt from her already stained clothes and folded her arms across her chest her eyes shutting. Mace kept his open as he watched her. He glanced to his side to see Troy doing the same. Neither one of them remembered how to pray or even what they were praying to. No one talked of God where they had been. In there, there was no God. 

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name, they kingdom come thy will be done as earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily our daily bread…." Sarah stopped speaking for a moment. "That's all I remember." She confessed. "But I can say more." She cleared her throat and began again. "Dear God, please watch over Michael and make sure he his happy. He saved my brother me and my friend Troy please make sure he knows we love him. Amen." She opened her eyes and smiled up at them. "I think God told me he was okay." 

"I don't believe in God." Troy said evenly as he starred at the grave expressing Mace's own thoughts.

Sarah frowned at him and looked back at the building. It was barely burning now. "For a while." She confessed. "I didn't believe in him either."

Mace nodded and grasped Sarah's hand turning her away from the building that had once been their home. "We're going to our real home now." Mace told her evenly and turned to Troy. "Hand me the cylinder." Troy nodded and fished it out of his pocket and handed it to Mace. Mace flipped off the lid and two three pieces of paper slide out. He handed on to Sarah and the other to Troy. "That's the last known address of your family. This one's mine," he glanced down at Sarah, "and this last one it belongs to Michael. We'll take it to his mother on the way." Silently the three once soldiers walked barefoot down the street not knowing what was in store for them and more delighted about the uncertainty of their future than anything. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Two months later / Miami Florida **~~~~~~~`

Mace shifted uncomfortably from the street corner and pushed the wadded piece of paper deep into the pocket of his blue jeans. Beside him Sarah pulled his hand into hers. He leaned over to smile at her. She was wearing a new pair of jeans and a T-shirt. No more uniforms.

"So this is it." Troy whispered from behind them. He was dressed differently as well. He was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt to cover the tattoo on his arm. 

Mace nodded and turned to around to look at his friend. At who had come to be his best friend over the past few months. Together they had found Michael's parents and told them everything of their son. They had described them as best they could and tried to get them to understand that he was the one that had saved them. They had decided not to tell where they had really been. No one would have believed them and this way Michael was more of a hero. They would never understand the other way. 

Now Mace and Sarah were standing outside their house. Mace was surprised that he still remembered it perfectly. Right down to the bushes surrounding the side of his house and the car parked in the driveway. He wondered if his parents remembered him. 

"You know you can stay here for a while." Sarah said hopefully and took his hand as well. "My parents can help you find them." 

Troy smiled down at her and looked to Mace. "I don't think so guys. I'll find them." He smiled and took his address out of his pocket. "I'm sure they wait for me for couple of years and then left. I'll find them somehow." He ripped it up and let the papers float away in the breeze. "Besides your parents won't want me around."

Mace grinned nervously and took Troy's shoulder under his palm. "I don't think they'd mind. Besides how am I ever going to explain any of this without you around?" 

Troy smiled knowingly and shrugged. "Perhaps it's better if they don't know." Troy pulled his makeshift knapsack over his shoulder and looked around the neighborhood. "This is a real nice place, Mace." 

"Yeah." Mace agreed. "Nothing like we're used to." Just as he was thinking about it he felt Sarah's hand slip from his and he turned to see her running toward a woman exiting the house. He knew immediately that it was his mother. He was frozen as he looked at her. She was exactly as he remembered her, but he knew he wasn't how she remembered him. "Do you think we'll ever forget what they taught us?" Mace asked never letting his eyes stray from his mother who was know enveloping his sister in a hug and crying. Her hands were on the back of her head as she tried to make sure she wasn't seeing things. 

"I hope so." Troy answered watching the same scene with a deep longing in his chest. 

"I don't want to be like Michael." Mace said finally. "When he killed those men. I've never seen someone so…happy. He just watched the blood running. He enjoyed it." Mace turned to Troy. "What if what they did to him is in us? What if we like the sight of blood too, or we will eventually?" 

Troy shuddered with the thought. "I can only say I hope you're wrong." 

"I hope I am too, but when I shoved that knife into the guy holding me, Troy, I almost smiled." Mace saw Sarah lift her head and point toward the street where they were both standing. Mace didn't move a muscle, as his mother looked him over. She had her hand over her mouth. Mace watched her. Her beautiful golden hair, the same shade as his, spilled around her shoulder and her eyes a deep aqua glistened with tears as she ran walked un-surely toward him. "She doesn't know if it's me." 

Troy shook his head. "She knows it's you, but she can't believe it." Troy turned his head to see Mace's father coming from the other side of the house. He was holding a pair of hedge clippers and when he saw his son standing in the street he dropped them. Troy wanted to be Mace so badly at that point that he almost screamed. He didn't want to watch anymore. He had to leave. "I have to go Mace." Troy said slowly and backed away as Mace's family came closer. "Bye, tell Sarah bye for me." 

Mace's arm shot out and grabbed Troy as he was leaving he pulled his friend toward him and shoved the piece of paper into Troy's hand. "Keep in touch Troy." He whispered. "Tell me when you've found your family." He smiled then his eyes sparkling with what looked like joy. He pulled Troy closer and hugged him. "I love you like you were my own brother. Take care Troy." 

With that said Mace released him and Troy ran down the street hoping to get out of sight before anyone could go after him. He could hear Mace calling for his Dad and Mom and he heard their joyous reunion echoing his mind. Tears of frustration ran down his face as he ran and with each step he went faster. His vision blurred and his lungs burned but he didn't care he wanted to run away from all of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Two weeks after that / Colony L1 hitched a rid on a passenger shuttle **~~~~`

Troy curled himself into a tight ball as another explosion shook the ground around him. He felt pebbles from the building to his back fall on his face and arms, but he didn't move. Even thought it was likely the building would fall on top of him crushing every bone in his body he didn't care. He had looked he had searched endlessly and there was nothing on his parents. He would never see them again and he was alone. He didn't want to go back to Mace and Sarah; he didn't want to bother them in fact all he wanted was to die. His dark chocolate hair was covered in a thin layer of dust and his skin coated in grim. Even with all his training he was unable to make a decent living. He was just 'war orphan' scum. He was spit at, things were thrown at him and he knew he would never survive. 

So involved in his own self-pity he didn't hear footsteps coming up behind him until it was too late. Reflexively he pulled a knife out and flipped open the blade. He was ready for an attack if whoever that behind him was. He sat curled and clenched waiting expectantly for the first blow to come, but when it didn't he was surprised to hear a voice. 

"I've been watching you." 

Troy stiffened with the words and gripped the end of his knife tighter. He didn't say anything in response but the man's voice, dry and almost mechanical, made his shudder. 

"I know who you are Troy Mathers, Dragon plan survivor." The last part was spoken softly and Troy leapt to his feet fear spreading across his features his knife raised and ready for an assault. "I wouldn't try that boy. I have my own methods of catching you," he pulled a odd looking gun from behind his back, "but it would be a whole lot easier if you would just come with me."

Troy stiffened. "What do you want." He said trying not to let his free show through his voice. The man was like no one he'd ever seen before. Large goggles covered his eyes, and a mechanical arm lay limply at his side. His hair was ghostly white and hung down past his shoulders. 

"I want your help, Troy." He responded mildly. "The world is in need of you." 

"And what can I do?" Troy asked and backed away a few steps, but didn't go anywhere.

"I can help you, Troy. I can make it easy for you to survive. I can train you so that no one will hurt you." 

"I don't want anymore training," Troy told him and started to turn and bolt away from the man.

"Wait Troy." The man called and Troy stopped. "You have nothing to fight for, nothing to live for. Don't tell me you're happy. I know you're not. You can't find your parents and Troy I know why. Your parents are dead. They worked in the military they were killed by the very same people I'm fighting against. If you help me you'll get you revenge you'll get off the street and you might even save the world." 

Troy felt his fingers go lax and the knife slip from his tight hold. 'Dead' the word echoed in his mind. Why hadn't the figured that before? He guessed he just hadn't wanted to. He didn't want to face the fact that he was all alone. Except for this man. This man wanted him needed his help. The only problem was he faced becoming what he had promised he never would. Then again he had also told himself he would always survive. Troy turned around eyeing the man one more time and sucking the threatening tears back. 

"What's your name?" Troy asked holding his head high despite the devastating emotional blow the doctor had thrown at him.

"Doctor J." The man replied. 

"I'll go with you." Troy said finally and took a step toward the man. Together they left the street and the destruction Troy knew. 

In the years that followed Troy became everything that he most feared he would. He was a soldier dedicated to his mission. He killed with out remorse he fought when he was told to. He only saw the mission. He was a mindless drone driven by orders. He was a grad… During one failed mission Heero had a casualty involving a small girl and some residential buildings. Thoughts of his past resurfaced and he began to rethink who he had become. In a desperate attempt to keep their 'Perfect Soldier' the doctors erased all the memories of the past from his mind. The tattoo that graced his arm was removed but something under the skin was overlooked. He was retrained to ignore his emotions. Troy Mathers was dead and he was nothing but Heero Yuy.

****

I know that was really long, but I didn't think that I could split it up and still keep your interest. There are more chapters so if you want the rest make sure you let me know. E-mail me at Peanutbutter199@hotmail.com **or write a review.**


	2. A forgotten past comes back to haunt

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing but I do own my characters and this story line

-Thanks for reading the other part even though it was incredibly long. So if you want to see how this hooks to Gundam Wing I thought I'd give you chapter two as well.

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 1 'A Forgotten Past comes back to Haunt'

~~~~~~~ **Nine years later after the two wars** **/** **United States Miami, Florida** ~~~~~~~'

Sarah tromped up her stairs to the second floor where her brother Mace was sleeping. He was home from College for the summer and was staying with them for a while. He had never gone to war much to Sarah's relief. He was always too young when the fighting broke out, though even if she wasn't sure Sarah knew Troy was got there, fighting. They had only gotten one letter from him and mostly it hadn't been encouraging.

_Dear Mace and Sarah, _

I'm writing to tell you I gave up on my search. I've found that my parents are dead and a man named Dr. J has taken me in. He says he needs my help and I've nothing to do but help him.

Love, 

Troy

That was the last letter they had received and it worried them to no end. Mace had looked for Troy for a while searching the earth, searching the colonies for him, but he never came across any vestige of Troy Mathers. It was as if he never existed. Mace had given up when the war started and plunged into political affairs. He didn't want to be in the fight too afraid, she guessed of becoming what he promised not to, but too concerned to leave it alone. 

"Mace, breakfast." Sarah called her soft voice wafting down the hallway. "Mace? Mace are you up yet?" Sarah called again. That was odd. He was always up at the crack of dawn a remnant of Dragon. He was never able to sleep fast seven in the morning. As she approached his door a feeling raced through her body. It was a not so familiar dread. It told her that danger was on the other side of the door. Swallowing hard Sarah knocked on the door and called again, "Mace, answer me." There was nothing but silence in return. Almost shaking Sarah turned the knob and pushed the door open.

A cool breeze swept her hair out of her face as she stepped into the room. She looked for the source of the breeze and found the window open. As her eyes looked closer she noticed the room was completely ransacked. His clothes were all over the place. How could there have been such a struggle and she not heard. After all she still had her enhanced hearing. Why hadn't she heard? She felt the tears welling in her eyes as she thought of her brother. Who would do this? Though slight, her training kept her from screaming out instead she looked. Hoping to find something, some sort of evidence to who had taken him. Her eyes scanned every inch of the room taking in every detail and storing it to memory incase she would ever need it again. As she her search reached the window her eyes fell on some thing black caught on a nail. Carefully she plucked the material from the nail and held it up to look at it. 

Etched quite visibly were the end of a dragon tail and the very tip of a broad sword. Sarah froze. Was it possible that they were still out there? What if they hadn't destroyed all of them, and if they hadn't why were they after Mace. Sarah wrapped her hand around the piece of cloth and pulled it her chest as the tears she had been trying to hold back fell. 

"Dear God, not again." Sarah turned to see her mother falling to her knees outside her brother's room. Her face was ashen as she looked over the scene and tears fell down her cheeks. "I thought this was over." She whispered. 

Sarah watched and wondered why they hadn't taken her as well. Besides time spent there what was the difference. Sarah froze as her mind focused on what would make the most difference, the tattoo. That had to be it. Even if Sarah hadn't been there long they still knew she was at the Dragon facility. She had been part of the project on she hadn't been a level up. As far as she knew Mace was the only one alive who had. Then she stopped her face taking on a new shade of pale. "Troy." She whispered. He was the only other one. What if they were after him too?

~~~~~~~~~~ **Relena's office at the Preventer's base 7:15 am **~~~~~

Relena yawned and put her hand over her mouth as she stepped into the building and glanced toward the desk were the security guard sat reading a book. She smiled warmly and raised her hand and waved, "Hey Mick." She said waving her hand as she started up toward the elevator. 

Mick looked up and nodded at her. "Early today." It wasn't a question but more of a statement. 

"If I could Mick I think I would sleep here, but my brother and Lady Une have me ushered out of here by ten." She laughed heartily and pushed the button for the eight floor and waited. It was only a few minutes before the elevator stopped on the fourth floor and the doors slid open. Before her stood a very disheveled Heero Yuy. Relena felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw him. After everything she still could hardly breath around him. 

"Hello Heero." She told him happily and grinned when he nodded back. "It seems you've been sleeping in the office." 

She looked up as Heero frowned at her and pushed the button for the eighth floor as well. "I had a lot of paper work to do." He explained and combed his hair down with his hands, which did nothing but make it stand up straighter. 

Relena giggled and put her hand on his arm and turned him to face her. Giving him a serious look she reached up and started to fix his hair. She pushed part of it down and tried to smooth out the other, but the man had so many cowlicks. It was impossible to fix with her fingers. Relena hardly noticed the way his eyes slid shut as she stroked his scalp with her fingers. She was too involved in her task. "Well it looks like you're coming to my office." Relena said finally. "I have a sink in there and a comb in my bag." 

Heero's eyes shot open and he backed away from her. "It's fine." He stated calmly and turned his back toward her and watched the buttons as they slowly rose from floor to floor. When did it get so long? 

"Oh don't be a baby Heero. You have a meeting with me this morning and I'm not letting you go in there looking like you just woke up." She put her hands on her petite hips and shook her head. 

"I did just wake up." Heero defended himself readily and tried to ignore the look she was giving him. He tugged at the top of his Preventer's tie. Why was it that whenever she was involved things went haywire? He was unable to control himself and everything seemed so complicated. The elevator dinged announcing that it had reached the floor and Heero let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. Before he could bolt down the hallway Relena had her delicate fingers wrapped around his arm and was tugging him in the direction of her office. Heero could do nothing but let his feet follow her, reluctantly. 

"Come on. You act like Duo when Hilde made him get a hair cut." Relena grunted and pulled harder. "I'm just going to comb your hair." She teased easily and found that he followed a little more willingly. She smiled inwardly and was about to open her door when she noticed that it was a little ajar. She hesitated and it was enough to make Heero notice. 

"What?" He asked. 

"It's just…" Relena began, "I keep my office locked and the door is open." She paused and waved her hand. "It's probably just Lady Une." 

Heero frowned and pushed her gently out of the way his gun drawn and opened the door. At first he didn't see anything then out of the shadows stepped someone dressed completely in black. Before Heero could even utter the word 'Freeze' the man was moving. Heero leaped into the room after him. It took only a second for him to catch up to the man and he leaped for him, but to his surprise the black clad man was ahead and kicked him in the gut. The blow was tremendous and sent him flying into the wall. The air left his lungs and he heard a distinct crack as the wall behind him dented and possible something in his chest as well. Ignoring the pain Heero pulled himself to his feet and charged forward again. This time he was ready and dodged the kick and set a punch in the man's face. The guy's head didn't even fly backward. The moment of astonishment was enough to give the other man the advantage. He kicked Heero across the face and punched him hard in the chin. Before Heero could clear his head the man was out the window a few files tucked under his arm. Heero could hardly believe the beating he'd received. It wasn't possible. 

"Heero? Heero are you okay." Relena was beside him before he knew it. Her fingers were running over the red swelling bruises on his face and across his sweaty brow. "I was yelling at you to stop, but you wouldn't listen. He only stole a few files in fact he dropped one when you hit him." 

Heero smirked a little. At least his assault wasn't completely wasted. He could already feel a burning in his chest each time he exhaled and knew he'd bruised a rib or more. He groaned and rolled to his feet. "Give me the file he dropped." Relena nodded and reluctantly left his side to pick it up. 

Relena watched him sink himself slowly onto the end of her desk and let out a labored breath. It bothered her to see him like that. She'd hardly ever seen Heero hurt especially after a hand to hand fight. That stuff never hurt him, but she remembered the way he had flown across the room and swallowed. What ever that was it wasn't human. 

Turning back to the floor she picked up the file and read the side of it. Printed quite clearly was Chang, Wufie. Swallowing she opened the file and flipped through it. It was Wufie's medical records, blood type, injuries; pictures…stuff like that. Why would someone need those? She thought. Her mind was running by itself and she gripped the file and went to her cabinet where she knew they had been swiped from. She checked under Barton first and there was nothing. 

"What is it Relena?" Heero asked from across the room and she heard him slide to the floor and make his way over to her. 

"Those Files…" she told him and stopped as she came upon Maxwell, nothing, "he took medical files. More specifically files on five Preventer's and or part time employees." She swallowed as she came to Winner, nothing, then finally her nimble fingers flipped to Yuy, nothing. 

Heero who had long since caught on answered. "Former Gundam Pilots possible." 

Relena turned around and nodded. "Some one is after you guys." She swallowed and closed the drawer and gripped Wufie's file. "What's in these that they could be looking for?" 

Heero shook his head. "I don't know, but we'd better get on this." He reached for the file and winced when a fiery like pain shot across his chest and all the way to his arm. 'Damned ribs.' He cursed silently.

Relena looked up and set the file on the farthest corner of her desk. "First I'm going to take care of those cuts on your face and then you're going to turn this case over to someone else and all five of you are going into protective custody." 

Heero snorted. "I think you're over reacting. We can take care of ourselves." 

Relena shook her head. "I saw how ineffective your attack was on that guy. If there are more of them out there and they're looking for you guys I don't think you have a chance." With that she stood and went to her sink where she wet a paper towel and reached under her cabinet for a little bag marked, 'first aid kit.' She unzipped it and pulled out a couple of bandages. "Come here." She ordered. 

Heero frowned knowing that even if he could convince Lady Une that he needed to take on this case Relena would fight him the whole way. Why did she do things like that? If it had been her who was attacked she would have refused protective custody and told them it was a waste of time. She was too selfless for her own good. Reluctantly he rose to his feet and sat in the chair she had pulled out for him. 

"Just hold still." She ordered and began to wipe the trail of blood running from the cut on his head and picked up his hand to see the knuckles split in some places. She quickly dabbed the blood and grabbed some antiseptic and rubbed it on the wounds.

Heero watched her the whole time the way her eyes concentrated so steadily on his pain. Her lips held in a tight line and her eyebrows scrunched in concentration. A few pieces of her golden hair had fallen in her eyes and she tried unsuccessfully to blow it away from her petite little nose. They only blew upward and settled back down tickling her skin. As she placed a butterfly bandage on his forehead Heero reached up and brushed the few strands behind her ear. He felt her pause as she finished her bandaging job and he ran his fingers through her silken locks and pushed them over her shoulder. When he looked away from her she was staring at him her eyes sparkling with a sweet wonder. One of her hands was resting on the side of his face and the other on his shoulder. Unconsciously her thumb began to stroke his temple. 

"All done." She whispered but didn't pull away. Her finger continued to rub his skin and his hand inched slowly upward to run through her hair again. 

"Ms. Relena." 

Relena jumped away from Heero severing the intense gaze they had just been sharing and looked to her intercom that was beeping and glowing red. "Yes Eve." Relena stated trying to calm her boiling blood and racing heart. 

"Ms. Relena Lady Une and Sally Po are here to see you." 

Relena nodded and answered. "Tell them to come in." Relena couldn't bring herself to look back at Heero. The feelings were too intense for the moment. 

Heero watched her painfully aware of how close he had come to kissing her. When had the urge built its way inside him? He remembered the way his lips had longed to touch hers. It was strange but her being so close and her breath tickling his skin he hadn't been able to help it. He wondered if he should apologize later or just ignore the fact that it had ever happened. Before he could do either Lady Une and Sally Po stepped into the office. 

"Heero, you said someone broke in to Relena's office." Sally said and looked around to see everything in complete order. "What did they take." 

"Files." Heero said. "They stole medical files on the Gundam Pilots." 

Lady Une stiffened. "Medical files?" 

Heero nodded and rose to his feet slowly he was becoming more himself as the feelings he had just experienced disappeared, or faded just out of his reach. He winced involuntarily as he came to his feet and he pointed toward the window. "After I encountered him he jumped out the window, but he dropped one file." 

"What's the matter with you?" Sally asked her medical training kicking in when she noticed the bruise on his chin and the way he winced when he stood. 

"I fought with him." Heero confessed feeling just a little stupid because he had been beaten. 

"What happened?" Une asked and glanced around the room until her eyes fell on a dent in the wall about the size of the former Zero pilot. "Never mind." She looked at Heero. "Tell me you at least got in one good hit before he left." 

Heero frowned at her mocking tone. "His skills were far greater than I imagined." 

"In laymen's terms that means 'the guy kicked his ass.'" Duo said slipping into the room followed by Wufie. 

Heero scowled and grumbled. That was just what he needed Duo knowing that he had been beaten by somebody. "Shut up Maxwell and what are you doing here?" 

"I sent for Wufie." Sally offered. "Duo probably just followed." 

Duo nodded. "Yeah that's pretty much it. So what's going on." 

"You, Heero, Wufie, Trowa, and Quatre are going into protective custody." Relena said speaking up for the first time in a while. Her face was dead set determined. 

"What?" Duo asked. "I can take care of myself." 

Relena frowned. "You say that now, but wait until those men have you beaten and caught." 

"Hold on." Lady Une whispered. "I don't think we need to do that. Maybe we'll take them into tighter security, but we still need them on this case even if it does involve them. They're the best field team we have." 

"So you risk their lives." Relena frowned and looked away. "That makes perfect sense." 

Lady Une looked at her and frowned. "I know they're your friends, but they have a job to do and they do it well. We'll beef up security at their homes, but they can't just leave. You're not being rational." 

Relena reluctantly turned back around. "You're right. I'm sorry." She smiled wanly. "I just hate it when there is nothing I can do." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Research facility on colony X1543**

Mace pried his eyes open and tried to determine why he felt so weak and why his vision was so blurry. He blinked but nothing would clear his head. So many jumbled and confused thoughts ran through his mind. He didn't know what was real and what wasn't. He groaned and turned his head to the side. Vaguely he could see his arm strapped to a board by an iron cuff and guessed that his other arm and ankles shared the same fate. 

"So it seems Mace has awakened."

Mace turned his head toward the voice trying to make out the man's face but it blurred in and out of focus until just looking up made him dizzy. He let his eyes fall shut and opened his mouth to speak and was surprised with how weak he sounded. "Who are you?"

"How easily you forget." The voice taunted and grabbed hold of his arm and squeezed it. Mace flinched with the touch but didn't scream. Pain was only momentary. "This tattoo, you still have it and you are still part of our army. If it wasn't for that fool Michael and your stupid friends out plan would have been well under way." 

Mace tried to connect the words in his mind, but it was hard. It sounded so familiar, but he couldn't place them. He couldn't find the connection even though he was sure it was right there. "I don't…" he tried but his voice as already failing him. 

"Doesn't really matter boy. Hammond told you we had something knew planned and even though we're a little late you're getting exactly what we promised. You my dear dragon are going to be why we have always dreamed a 'Perfect Soldier' and you are going to help us take over this planet and possible the colonies as well. That is you and your little friend, Troy." 

Mace's eyes snapped open at the mention of Troy. Troy, who had disappeared, Troy, who had been his best friend? Then it all came together. He remembered the speech Hammond had given so many years ago he remembered the talk of the experiment, but how could any of them have survived. They watched the entire building burn to the ground. How had any one them survived? "Bastard." Mace whispered through his parched lips. 

"So." The man continued. "It seems you remember a little. Well we'd better get started before he remember too much." Before Mace could make a move there was a mask over his face and everything swam into darkness. 

"Is this going to work even though he was never loyal to us?" Hammond asked as he moved his voice box to his throat so he could speak. Even if it was mechanical it was words. 

"It doesn't matter." Smith sneered. "The code, when activated, merely boast loyalty to us. Enhances training. The code tells the mind what to do and we tell the code what to do." Smith reached down with his laser cutter and sliced the delicate first few layers of skin around the tattoo of the dragon on Mace's arm. Under the layer revealed piece by piece as a rather long microchip. A small keypad was forged to its surface and Smith put on his goggles and grabbed a pen. The pad was magnified and Smith punched in the code. Immediately the skin around it began to glow as it was activated. "It's only a matter of time before the serum reaches his brain and takes over." 

Hammond smiled as Smith stitched up the incision. "The best part is the chips react to each other so when one is activated the other glows when an activated chip is near. Besides we're pretty sure we know where Troy is." 

Smith looked up after he'd stitched and molded the skin back into place so that it looked the same as I had before. It was like it had never been cut at all. "It's either the pilot of 01 or 02." He paused as he glanced at the kid you had been there when he had almost died. He smiled as he thought of the revenge he had waited so long for. "Both were orphans and both might be Troy. We only have to kidnap both and see which glows." Hammond chuckled lightly. 

Smith smiled as well and looked down at Mace. "Let's send the newest member of our team after them. What a shock to be caught by your own alley. Mitchell has had enough. He almost got it last time. If it wasn't for his suit some guy at the Preventer's base would have gotten him"

"Well Mitchell doesn't have the training. Mace on the other hand he's perfect." 

No sooner as the words left his mouth that Mace's eyes opened. He blinked slowly for a moment and turned to look at Hammond and Smith completely calm. 

"How are you feeling?" Smith asked. 

Mace looked at him blankly. "How do you want me to feel." He asked in monotone. 

Hammond laughed and looked down at the boy that was now completely to his mercy. "Break out of those irons Mace." 

Mace blinked and turned to look at each of his encased limps. Without hesitation he pulled up and snapped the irons from the table and pulled himself free. Blood ran down his wrists and ankles were the steel had cut into his flesh, but Mace didn't seem to mind. He came to his feet on the hospital floor and looked the two doctors expectantly. Blood ran freely from his wounds, but he did nothing to wipe it away or even complain about the hurt. 

"Go wash yourself off." Smith commanded lightly. "The bathroom is down the hall to the right. When you're done come back here." 

Mace nodded and saluted Smith before he disappeared down the hallway. 

"That wasn't necessary." Smith said shaking his head. "We need him at full health." 

Hammond smiled. "He deserved it. The kid has only yet to experience pain and suffering." 

"Yeah well try to keep it to a minimum. Mace and that Troy kid were the only surviving implant students and before we can get more we have to keep these guys in perfect condition."

"It those bastards hadn't ruined everything we would have the world in our hands. We would be ruling instead of hiding in the slums." Hammond sneered. "I'm just sorry that Michael kid died before I could get my hands on him. He's the Son of a Bitch that cut out my throat and left me to bleed to death."

"Mitchell," Smith called into his the air touching the earpiece inserted in his lobe, "I need you to get here and take our new member of the team to his quarters." The reply back was prompt. 

"Yes, sir do I need to fit him for a suit." 

Smith shook his head even though the other couldn't see him. "No, just show him to a private room at the end of the sector." 

"Yes, sir." 

"You know we'll have to get rid of the rest of these guys." Hammond whispered. "They won't be able to keep up and eventually they might defect." 

Smith flipped the earpiece off. "I know. I just want to make sure we have everything we need from them first." 

****

So what do you think so far? As always review or e-mail me at Peanutbutter199@hotmail.com 


	3. Mistaken

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

-yet another installment

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 2 'Mistaken'

~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Chicago, Illinois three days after Mace's disappearance**

Sarah reached her hand out and wrapped on the steal door hoping that whoever lived inside would open the door. Her nerves were on end. She had only used a gun a few times and that had been nine years ago. It felt odd and foreign against her flesh and she just hopped that she hadn't forgotten everything. The door slid open easily and she was met with the face was an old man. A white beard surrounded his wrinkled face and his eyes were white and empty, he was blind. Sarah swallowed. Could this be him? 

"Dr J?" She asked and didn't pull up her gun until he nodded at her. 

"What do you want?" He asked but before he could even slam the door Sarah lifted her gun and placed it between his eyes. 

"I want answers." She told him steadily. "Now let me in or I splatter your brains across your hallway floor and all over your nice white wall." Sarah was surprised with how powerful her own voice sounded in her ears. She had been there for such a sort time and away for so long yet the training clung to her. 

Dr. J moved back slowly his hands rising upward. One a mechanical claw the other normal. "What do you want with me?" He asked rasping with each breath. "I'm an old man, washed up and useless. I can't build you anything. I can't even see with my goggles anymore. I can't tell you how either." 

Sarah frowned and pushed the gun into the man's back and directed him through the hall until they reached his kitchen. "Sit." She ordered him and without much hesitation he sank into the seat nearest to him and Sarah moved to sit across from him. "I want information on a certain pupil of yours." She informed him steadily and let the gun lower and she set it on the table. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to know where he is." 

"I don't know what you're talking about." He answered. 

Sarah frowned. "I know you were in the war. I know you built the Gundams, everyone does, but mostly I know you took in a little boy about eight years old. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He had a tattoo on his right arm." She paused and looked at the man's face, but it revealed nothing. "His name was Troy Mathers. You told him his parents were dead." There was a long silence before the Dr. answered. 

"Ah another Dragon survivor." He smiled sinisterly looked past her. "I'm guessing you're only about fifteen, sixteen. You were hardly old enough to remember the place when you left. About six I guess." 

Sarah stiffened. "You don't forget places like that no matter how old or how long you were there." 

"Ah so I'm right, but I must tell you that the boy your looking for…he's dead." The Dr. shrugged his shoulders.

Sarah jumped to her feet and pressed the gun to his head again. "Did you kill him?" She asked. "Did you get what you needed from him and kill him?" 

The doctor was obviously disturbed by the gun to his temple and tried to calm her. "I just mean that the boy who helped destroy the Dragon base no longer exists in those terms."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked relaxing enough to sink into the chair to the Dr.'s side. 

"That Troy, as you remember him, is no longer Troy." 

"Who is he?" 

"Heero Yuy." He said simply. "Your Troy saved the world." 

Sarah stiffened. "How, he told me he didn't want to be a soldier, that he didn't want to fight." 

"He had nothing else to live for. He had no family, no friends, he was alone and I offered him a life doing something he recognized. He became the perfect soldier and thanks to him and some other boys you're a free woman."

"The other's were they from Dragon?" Sarah asked. 

"No." He replied. "None of them are. As far as I know you, your brother, and Heero are the only survivors." 

"How do you know about all this how do you know about me and my brother?" 

"Because this was my idea." Dr J paused and turned to look at her with his blank eyes. "I invented the idea and they carried it out." 

"Bastard!" Sarah yelled repressing the urge to blow his brains out. "How could you be so heartless. You kidnapped children from their families and destroyed their lives." 

"Do you think I'm proud of how it turned out?" He asked bitterly. "That was nothing like I'd planned. They were building an army for their own use. I just wanted to help the colonies. I wanted to stop war." 

Sarah shook with repressed rage. "How did you ever think that was going to solve the problem of war?" 

"It did didn't it. I got one, just one 'Perfect Soldier' and he saved all of us. If I hadn't done it there is no telling whose rule you'd be under right now." 

"Just tell me where Tr..Heero is. I need to talk to him." 

Dr J. frowned visibly as if struggling with his answer. "He won't know you if you go see him."

"What..He…" 

"He won't remember you, or Dragon, your brother, or even anything before he come to live with me. We had to erase his memory in order to complete his training. His emotions were getting in the way of his judgement. We had to end the distraction and that meant getting rid of you." 

"Why?" Sarah whispered. "Why did it come to that?" 

"He had a bad mission and some innocents died. He felt so bad that he started to think of you and his friend Mace. He kept saying how he didn't want to be like Michael. So we fixed him we curbed his emotions and erased his past." 

"And you think that's okay?" She asked angrily. "You thought that it was for the best. Did you ever think, did you ever wonder what would happen if Dragon came back and they were looking for him." 

"Dragon is gone. They made sure of that and I looked on it afterward. There was nothing left not even a medical document. It was a horribly charred building of mutilated bodies and broken medical equipment. No one could had survived that." The Dr. moved his hands to his forehead and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Now can you just leave an old man alone." 

"Well you were wrong, you missed something because Dragon is back and they stole my brother and I know they're after Troy." Sarah paused. "If you could see I'd show you what they left behind. It's the mark of the Dragon. It's the tattoo that lays on the arm of my brother and Troy and if you don't tell me where he is, memory or not, he's going to be kidnapped as well!" 

"That impossible. No one survived that blast." He turned his head and looked away from her. 

"Tell that to my brother!" Sarah yelled. "Now, tell me where he is and I'll make him remember! It's in the back of his mind somewhere and I'll make him remember." She put the gun to his head and cocked the trigger. "I have a reason to kill you this time." 

"He works as a Preventer in the Cinq Kingdom." Dr. J answered readily and slumped in his chair. "If you know what's best for him you won't tell him who you are. If he can remember if he does it could destroy him." 

Sarah frowned. "He deserves to know what you took from him. He does have parents. He should remember them even if they're gone, he did have friends and they need to be remembered." She lowered her gun and stuffed it in the waist of her pants and started to leave.

"You heard him yourself. You know he didn't want to be a soldier. If you make him remember all of that you risk breaking him down." 

Sarah ignored his words of warning and left the house. The information stored freshly in her mind and a newfound confidence building in her system. Perhaps she would never forget what they taught her. Acting on it only seemed to drive it and make it grow within her. She was thinking tactically again. Her mind was trained on one goal with focus she never dreamed imaginable. No matter what Dr. J told her she had to find him and tell him about Dragon. Even if she couldn't make him remember she could warn him and possibly save his life. She swallowed as she remembered the way he had grabbed her so many years ago. 

*********************

"Shut up!" Troy screamed his eyes burning with an unfamiliar rage. His hands wrapped tightly around her almost crushing her in his iron grip. "Shut up and listen your brother and Michael are risking everything for us and your not going to ruin it because your ungrateful." He shook her viciously for a moment his grip tightening before he released her with a look of horror crossing his face. "I'm sorry…" 

********************

Sarah remembered the raw hatred and deep emotion that had spewed from his mouth. The way his eyes had glazed over in his fit of rage. She remembered how she had feared for her life in those couple of seconds. Was that part of the training, was that part of what she beginning to tap into. She still remembered the sinister smile that had spread of across his face at the thought of revenge. She shivered. What if she was turning into that? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Cinq Kingdom** ~~~~~~~~~`

Duo Maxwell grumbled and slipped into the bed beside his wife, Hilde. He had been up all night researching, searching blindly for some lead in the case. Not only that but guards were all over his house standing outside his bedroom door, in his living room outside his front door. It bugged the shit out of him. He felt as if his privacy was being invaded and there was nothing he could do about it. Hilde had been even worse. She said that it was a good idea. She consented and when Duo had tried to argue she'd given him the look and then they'd gotten into a fight. This mostly definitely wasn't his day.

Grumbling he rolled over and wrapped his arms around his wife. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear knowing she wasn't yet asleep. Her beautiful eyes fluttered open and she grinned at him. 

"So am I." She smiled and kissed his waiting lips. "I know how my 'man' likes to take care of his 'woman.'" She teased and pressed her head against his chest and closed her eyes. 

Duo hugged her close and kissed her forehead. "I love ya babe." 

"Love you too." She whispered already falling into the confines of sleep. It wasn't long before Duo joined her. At least with so many people protecting him he could sleep a little easier. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Mace saw the house come into view and quickly scanned the surrounding area for any security. His eyes cut through the darkness as if it were light and he clearly saw three men patrolling around the perimeter of the house. He couldn't see in through the windows, but he knew there were more on the inside. 

"Targets in sight proceeding." Mace whispered and waited for answer. There was a short static like crackle through his earpiece before there was a strong reply. 

"Do what you have to. Take out all people who get in your way, but leave the pilot alive. Remember you'll react to the chip in his arm." 

Mace nodded and turned off his microphone. There was no point in them giving him away. He needed to be silent. Crouching he slunk forward through the shadows and dense foliage until he reached his first break. Already his mind was working on his next move. The guard should come around the house in the next couple of seconds. He waited and just as he predicted a black clad man stepped around the side of the house and Mace raced silently for him. The man never even saw him coming. Mace had his arms around the man's neck before he could utter a word and swiftly snapped his neck. There was only a sharp crack as the man fell to the ground. 

Mace smiled as he watched the man sink to the ground in a lifeless heap. Just as he was losing himself in the joy the snap of a twig brought him around. Mace fell against the house and sunk into the bushes, silence being his only weapon for the moment. 

"Anderson, you over here? We're about to switch with the indoor crew." A man rounded the corner his gun drawn and his eyes darting across the yard trying to catch something. "Anderson?" 

Mace watched him with a sick satisfaction. The man had no idea that his friend was already dead. Slinking silently through the foliage he moved beside the man and leaped from the bushes surprisingly making no sound. Again he wrapped his hands around the man's neck ending his life with one quick twist. There was only one more and then he could move inside. He was beginning to love his job. With each new assault something inside him grew, almost like a nurtured plant. He was finding something he never new existed and his new mind craved the feeling. He had a feeling that before long nothing would be able to stop him. 

This time Mace pulled his silencer from the pocket of his pants and twisted it onto his gun. Moving silently again, he went in search of the last remaining out door soldier. It didn't take him long to find him, but he was with two other guys. Mace frowned he was going to have to be quick to get them all. Pulling out his knife as well he aimed his guy as the man farthest from the first two. He slumped in the door jam, but didn't fall completely over giving Mace the advantage he fired one for shot and released his knife at the same time. It flew across the yard and hit his target at the same time as the bullet. The man fell to the ground blood running his hand on his throat trying to stop it. Mace stalked over to where they lay and looked on his victims. The two men he'd shot where dead, but the other one was still alive. 

His hand was on his bloodied throat, but he couldn't scream his vocal cords had been cut and only a gurgling bubble came from his mouth as he choked and drowned on his own blood. Mace looked him right in the eye his glaze glued to the flowing blood. It was like a burst of pure pleasure as he watched it run around the man's neck. Slowly, he reached down and put his fingers in it. It was warm and sticky on his skin, it was exhilarating. 

__

'I don't want to be like Michael. When he killed those two men. I've never seen someone…so happy. He just watched the blood running.' 

Mace froze a look of horror coming over his usually emotionless face. He blinked and settled his eyes on the man under him again. He flinched and backed quickly away from him. He shook all over at the realization of what he had done. How, how could he have done that? He lifted his hand in front of his face and gazed at the blood running warmly down his fingers. 

'_…but when I shoved that knife into the guy holding me, Troy, I almost smiled.' _

"Oh God." Mace whispered as he tried to calm his raging heart and pull himself back into reality. This had to be a dream, like the ones he'd experienced all through his childhood. He hadn't killed someone. He couldn't kill someone. In his complete denial he failed to hear the men scrambling down the stairs of the house until it was too late. There were in front of him and he had no where to run. In fact he didn't know if he even wanted to run. 

"What the hell…" he heard one of them whisper from the darkness. "Anderson…oh…" 

The man knelt in front of his fallen friend and Mace had to hold back his anguish. He had done that… The man didn't seem to notice him though. He was pretty far from the bodies sitting motionless in the grass. Maybe they didn't see him. As he was thinking of what he should do he felt an unpleasant tingling in his arm. Glancing down he saw a faint glow starting shinning through his skin and around the tattoo illuminating it in an eerie glow. Soon it became so intense it alerted the men around him. 

"Don't move." One of them shouted his gun raised and poised on Mace.

For a second Mace's eyes widened in fear, but only for a second. Then it was gone. The anguish the guilt all had disappeared mere minutes after they had appeared. Mace leaped to his feet effectively dodging the bullets. He continued to twist and turn out of the way until there were no bullets left. While they were fumbling and trying to change their clips with fingers that were shaking with fear he moved forward. 

Hidden in the darkness Mace was able to slink up beside the first man and he slapped him hard with the palm of his hand slamming his nose into his brain in one effective shove. Blood poured from the wound as he fell silently to the grass. The other man had reloaded his gun and was pointing it at him. Mace smirked lopsidedly and snatched the gun out of the man's finger and shot him with it. He died instantly as the bullet shot through his heart. 

Mace stood on the blood stained ground breathing deeply. He wasn't tired it was as if he enjoyed this moment in the battle when the blood was all around him and he was the cause of all of it. Then he remembered his mission objective, Duo Maxwell. He was stupid to think they hadn't heard. In fact they had probably called for back up. He only had a matter of minutes before they showed up. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' 

Duo shoved Hilde into the attic closet and shut the door despite her kicking feet and protesting mouth. "Duo Maxwell I'm not staying in here while you're out there." She yelled at him helplessly and banged the on the small door with her fists. "Get in here with me at least. You heard what was going on!" 

Duo jammed his foot against the door and reached across the room for a chair and shoved it under the doorknob. "Don't make a sound babe. I'll be all right, if he get me he wants me alive, but you babe I'm worried about." Duo creased his brow as the banging stopped and pushed the legs of the chair one more time to make sure that it wouldn't slip. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to her. 

"Duo." She called softly. "I love you." 

Duo smiled and put his hand on the door and whispered back, "I love you too." He blew her a kiss even though he knew she couldn't see him and pulled his standard issue Preventer's gun from the waistband of his jeans. "Now don't make a sound. No matter what." Duo ordered and pushed his way from around the clothes in their bedroom closet and shut the door behind him. At least this way he was sure Hilde would be safe. 

The gunshots had waken them both and sent Duo into protection mode, by throwing his wife in the attic and grabbing his gun. He had pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxer's but his chest was bare and small beads of sweat built up on his skin as he listened for an attack but there was only silence and that worried him more. Whoever was doing this was good. Way better than most and perhaps even better than Heero. Duo's mind jumped to the way Heero had looked earlier that day. The deep purple bruise on his chin and the bloodied cut on his head. Duo swallowed if Heero got that kind of beating, what would he get? Then Duo heard it a soft almost undetectable noise coming from the hallway.

Duo strained his ears to hear it, but it was there almost deafening now that he knew of it in the silence. Crouching low in the shadows Duo made himself almost invisible as he waited for what sure was to be his attacker. His gun poised Duo watched the hallway his eyes never straying from the spot and his ears never leaving the sound. 

Before Duo even knew what happened he felt a weight on his back and then something over his mouth. He breathed in sharply perhaps to scream or to gather enough air to counter when he smelled the chloroform in the material, but by then it was too late. Duo let out a torched sigh and his eyes rolled back in his head as he wondered how the guy had gotten so close without him knowing. 

Mace lifted his hand from Duo face and smiled. Duo had been so intent on the distraction he had created that he'd been able to sneak across the room unnoticed and get the drop on him. Grinning still with the thrill of victory on him he lifted the unconscious pilot on to his back and headed out the door. As he made his way into the woods and away from the house he heard the sirens as the Preventer's made their appearance, but it was too late. Mace already had what he had come for and nobody had been able to stop him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Colony that same morning **~~~~~`

Mitchell typed in the code and door slid open reveling Mace carrying a body over his shoulder. Giving Mace the once over Mitchell realized the blood splattering his skin and clothes was not his own. As far as he could tell Mace was completely untouched. But how was that ever possible? 

"What happened?" Mitchell asked knowing about the mission, or at least that Mace was supposed to capture two of the notorious Gundam pilots and unless Mace had one in his pocket he was missing one. A small smirk crossed his face as he thought of how the doctors had been so sure this guy was better, but he hadn't completed the mission. "I thought you supposed to have two." 

Mace's cold glare settled on the man in front of him. He was a medium build dark hair dark eyes, he was probably really good at what he did, but Mace knew immediately that he was no match for him. "Where are they at?" Mace asked instead. 

Mitchell paused as if thinking of misdirecting him but pointed down the hall, "In the lab. They're expecting you." 

Mace nodded and shifted the man on his shoulder. Mitchell watched him disappear down the hall the long braid of the man he had captured swinging side to side. So that was the Gundam pilot 02, Duo Maxwell. He never actually thought he would see him. Content with the fact that Mace had not completed the mission Mitchell went back to his quarters to talk to the others. After all he was the oldest and it was his responsibility to watch after them, even if they were all well into their teens. They had grown up with the Doctors and Mitchell was the only farther they had. 

~~~~~~~~~~~`

Mace threw the man across the medical table and heard the dull bang as the man's skull made contact with the end of the table his hair sprawling around him. "He'll wake up soon." Mace told them as he examined the pilot. Who would have believed this was one of the men who brought peace to the colonies. A peace that he would put in the rightful rule if all went as planned. Hammond came around his side laying his hand on his shoulder. Mace felt the urge to shrug the touch off but for some reason he was unable to make his limbs listen. Something held him from the act of defiance and besides he didn't know why he revolted the touch anyway.

"Was it difficult. What were the casualties." He asked anchiously. 

Mace never let his eyes stray from the table as he answered. "I killed seven men in the attack. I know he had a wife, but she was now where to be seen and I didn't look for her. He was easy to trick easy to catch." 

"Then why didn't you go after the other one?" Smith asked. "You must have seen there was no reaction." 

Mace narrowed his eyes but other than that showed no contempt. "I already knew that the Pilot 01 had been contacted. That would have been the best move. He wouldn't have been at his home and he would not be able to apprehend him in public." 

Smith nodded. "You're right Mace. That was a good move." He moved to stand beside the 02 pilot and lifted his lids to check his eyes for dilation. "Did you have any problems?" 

Mace let his mind drift to the mission there was one moment in his perfectly movie accurate memory that was white. He didn't know what had happened then, but what even it was it hadn't interfered with his mission there for it was of no importance. "No nothing." 

"Good. Now Mace go to your quarters and sleep. You've done well." 

Mace saluted. "Yes, sir." And turned sharply on his heel and exited the room. 

Hammond watched him leave and turned back to the captured pilot. "I think we can use him anyway." 

"How's that?" Smith asked. 

"Easy every man has a breaking point. All we need to do is find his and we'll have a very loyal man on our side and when he are able to recreate the chip we'll really be able to use him." 

Smith snorted, "You make it sound easy. This boy, this man, has fought only for peace. You have no idea how deep his feelings run. You have no knowledge of his past." 

Hammond smiled knowingly. "Don't be so quick to judge. I happen to know of someone who can help us. In fact he's the reason Troy, it has to be him, is Heero Yuy. Haven't always wondered why he didn't become a pacifist like our dear Mace?"

****

If you read please R&R


	4. A Reunion of Sorts

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Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

-Thanks to you that reviewed. I really appreciate the feedback!

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 3 'A reunion of sorts'

~~~~~~~~~~ **Preventer's Base 11 am** ~~~~~~~~`

Sarah hid in the bushes outside the Preventer's base complex. Her gun was tucked securely in her pants having found a new comfortable home pressed against her skin. Even her fingers seemed to have become accustomed to the metal handle in her palm. The feeling she got each time she held it was exhilarating and haunting at the same time. She didn't know what was happening to her, but somehow she liked it. Her mind was beginning to awaken in a way with each new adventure she sent herself one. It still frightened her and she hated to admit how close she had come to killing Dr. J, but now she had to find Troy before it was too late and she perhaps lost herself. 

The outside was busy though and she knew the inside was worse. There were agents running all over the yard back in forth between the different complexes always with files in their hands or a determined look on their faces. It was apparent something significant had happened. Sarah swallowed hoping that hadn't gotten to him yet. She didn't know how she would ever find him then. Just then she saw a young women she had seen leave the office several times always with someone else and she always came back shortly. This was the woman's forth trip back and this time she was by herself in fact she was passing very close to where Sarah was. 

The idea popped into Sarah's mind before she could even let it sink in and before she knew it she had her hands wrapped around the young blond woman's neck and she had pulled her into the bushes. The woman didn't even have time to scream and Sarah was surprised that there was very little struggle. 

"Don't make a sound and I won't hurt you." Sarah whispered to her and released the woman's mouth and let her turn around but didn't release her hold on her arm. "I just need you to…" Sarah lost her voice as she came face to face with woman who had brought peace to the political world, Relena Peacecraft/Dorlain. 

"I don't know who you work for or what you have to prove by catching me, but I assure you that if you are associated with the kidnapping of Duo Maxwell you won't get away with it." 

Sarah was frozen and speechless. The woman's words were so articulate. She knew just what to say she was as Sarah had always imagined her intimated by no one. Her hand immediately released its hold and Sarah backed a little in the foliage and tried to smile, but her lips wouldn't work. 

"So what do you plan to do with me Miss? Are we just going to stand here because if we are I have things I need to be doing." 

Sarah couldn't believe how defiant she was. Even at the mercy of her captures she had no fear of her own death as if she knew that when she died it wouldn't be by her. In fact it seemed as if she believed she was immortal or maybe that she really didn't care how long she lived. "I don't want to kidnap you." Sarah said finally the shock leaving and her voice returning. "I didn't even know that it was you Miss Dorlain." 

"Oh then why are you sneaking in the bushes and grabbing random people and pulling them into the foliage with you?" She raised her brows in question and crossed her arms over her suit top and waited for an answer. 

Before Sarah could answer she remembered something Dorlain had said. 'Kidnapping of Duo Maxwell.' She whipped around suddenly making the older woman jump. "Did you say Duo Maxwell was kidnapped?" She nodded but didn't say anything. "How about Tro…I mean Heero Yuy? Is he still here?" Sarah noticed the why the woman's posture stiffened with the mention of her friend. What did that mean? 

"Who are you?" Relena asked. "Why did you need to know about Heero?" 

"Just tell me if he's all right!" Sarah demanded trying desperately to keep her voice low even though her temper was flaring. 

"He's fine." She replied. "But I'm guessing by what you're telling me that it won't be for long." 

Sarah shook her head. "I need to see him." 

"Why?" 

"Trust me. I know who has Duo, or what organization anyway. I know because they have my brother. I can tell you everything that you want to know about them, and I know this that they're after Heero." 

"Then why did they take Duo?" Relena countered. 

"Because they're not exactly looking for Heero. They're looking for a boy named Troy Mathers." 

"What does that have to do with Heero?" 

"He is Troy Mathers."

Relena shook her head her eyes widening. "Heero doesn't know anything about his past." 

Sarah nodded. "I know that. I already had a lengthy talk with Dr. J." She looked away from the woman for a second and toward the building. "If you don't believe me he'll be in more danger than you ever imagined." 

"What do you know about all this. Who was your brother and for that matter who are you?" Relena's eyes were blazing with contempt as she gazed on the younger girl. "Why should I believe anything you're telling me?" 

"Because it's the truth." Sarah said simply. "I've been looking for Troy for nine years. I knew him when he was eight." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Heero was bent over his paper work as he went of the findings at the Maxwell's residence and in Relena's office. He didn't have much time to look either. With Lady Une threatening to put the rest of them into hiding and everyone jumping on him to follow up dead in leads he hardly had anytime to think it over for himself. At each sight there were no fingerprints no hair no, footprints, nothing. The man had killed all seven of the Maxwell guards with a deadly precision and a some how familiar fashion. Who ever had done this was just as well trained if not better in the art of killing. Even as he scanned the photographs taken of the mutilated bodies he saw that each blow was planned and precise there was nothing that wasn't necessary to complete disable and destroy the enemy and it sent a chill running through his body as he thought about it. 

Running his hand through his hair, Heero leaned back in his chair and cracked his back of the seat. Who could have trained this one and if there was one was there a whole army of them? How would they ever stop them without Gundams? Did they have enough strength to ward off an army of people like him so dedicated to the mission that personal safety meant nothing? Where had they come from? Some many questions and there was no time to answer any of them and the thought of going to war fighting again killing again reminded him of the thrill he had once loved. The way he had watched the blood run through the battlefield after a kill how he had loved the carnage. 

All of that had changed when he met Relena. Something about her drove him to protect her. He wanted to keep her safe and with her around killing didn't seem to hold so much glory. In fact it sickened him. He didn't know what had driven him to fight or even what had brought him to Dr. J but he knew that he never wanted to go back. Perhaps if he did he wouldn't be able to pull himself back again. A slight knock at the door brought Heero back to reality and he turned to the door. 

"Come in." He mouthed feeling disconnected as he said it. The door swung open and Relena walked in followed closely by a young girl. She was average height for her age that appeared to be around fifteen. Her dark locks hung around her young childlike face and her large blue eyes tugged at him oddly. He didn't know what it was but there was something familiar about her. 

"Heero?" 

Heero looked away from the girl not aware that he had been staring and gave Relena a questioning look. "Who is this?" 

Relena gestured for her to come forward and she stepped up her eyes sparkling with what looked like tears. But why? He wondered, 'Who would cry at the sight of me.' 

"This is Sarah and she says she knows who took Duo." Relena commented and looked down at the girl. Her face was almost in one of complete belief, but Heero could see in her eyes that she didn't completely trust the girl. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Chicago** ~~~~~~~~~`

Doctor J groggily lifted his old decaying body from the bed and pulled on his robe so he could answer the door. Would he never be left alone? The encounter with the girl on two day ago was enough to tell him that it wasn't possible. He was still paying for the mistakes of his past and he knew that if what the girl had said was true he needed to get out of Chicago before they found him. In actuality there was very little he could do for them, but he would be able to give them information on the Heero and even the girl that had tried to shoot him and that was most likely what they were after. 

His hand traced along the walls as he made his way down the stairs and to the door. It was ringing again and he just wished they would go away, but that wasn't possible. There was never any rest for the weary. It didn't occur to him until he was at the door that he might not want to answer it. Blame it on his failing mind or his complete absence of common sense but it was too late and he was already in trouble. He reached out his clawed hand and pulled open the door opening his white blind eyes wide so he could at least catch a shadow of what was there. 

"What do you want?" He barked as he squinted against the light and tired to shift out the blurred shapes in front of him. 

"We, Dr. J, need your help." 

"I can't help you." He replied stiffly. "I can't see and I don't remember anything. Go find someone else." With that said he started to shut the door but one of them must have but their foot in the door because it wouldn't budge. 

"Perhaps we didn't make ourselves clear." The other spoke and this time pressed a gun to his head. 

The doctor knew well enough what the barrel of a semi automatic felt like pressed against his temple and let out a tortured sigh. Two death threats in a week. This mostly definitely wasn't his day. "So you have come to force information out of me. If you must know I know nothing." 

"Shut up and listen up." The first one spoke again. "I know who you are old man and I know how manipulative you are. You'll tell us what we want or you'll find yourself in a early grave." 

The Doctor jumped when he heard the door slam, but hadn't lost his cool just yet. "And what makes you think I don't welcome prospect of death. Anything to kid myself of this useless sightless body." 

"Ha." The first laughed. "You haven't changed a bit still using the same lines. Still full of shit." 

"So what do you want from me if you know me so well." 

"We want to know about Heero Yuy. We need to know where you got him from." It was the second on this time. 

"I found him on the streets." 

"Now don't lie to friends Dr. I believe we know each other better than that. We know for a fact that he is Troy Mathers one to the few surviving children of Dragon." The second spoke again. "We want to know what you did to him and how you made him do everything you told him to." 

Dr. J backed away and stiffened when one of the two men grabbed hold of his arms and pressed him against the wall. "I don't know what you're talking about." He managed to say through his crushed lips pressed against his wall.

"Don't be stupid old man. You corporate and we'll let you go. In fact we'll make sure no one ever finds you again." The one with the gun to his head whispered in his ear. 

"What do you mean?" The old man croaked out as his limbs began to ache with the pressure. 

"I mean we know how much you want to disappear. We know how much you want to be left alone. We can promise you that." The second spoke this time. "All you need to do is to tell us what you did." 

Dr. J gulped loudly and shut his eyes. If he told, he didn't even have to tell all of it. If he told a little he would never be bothered again. He could live out the rest of his life in peace and he wouldn't tell all of it. He would just tell them enough that was all. It wouldn't do any harm. He would just tell a little bit. 

"His memory, I erased it." He said before he could stop himself. "I doesn't remember Dragon. We brainwashed him reprogrammed him. He listened for a time, but it didn't last." 

The one holding him released his shoulders and let him fall gasping to the ground holding his aching joints. Dr. J looked up to see the two blurring figures talking quietly over him. He had told them enough they would leave him alone know. 

"How did you do it. What did you use?" 

Dr. J looked at the floor and chose his words carefully. "A medical procedure that blocks that center of his mind. He can't tap into it, or at least he shouldn't be able to."

"Who knows how to do this?" One demanded. 

"A doctor Malcolm but he's been dead for years. No one else that I know of can do it. Its delicate one screw up could kill him." 

"The plans then, the operation. I know you kept record of it. Show where they are and we'll never bother you again and you will be left alone." 

The words were too good to ignore. To never be bothered again was what he wanted. "In my lab downstairs. The file is called 'OpD'. There's a video of the procedure and a full written report." Dr. J let out a sigh. If he had to give any more there would be nothing to stop the procedure from working. 

"Fine." The men over him spoke quietly for a few minutes and one left to get the files. The one still standing over turned to him. "Thank you doctor your help has been most generous." 

"Will you leave me alone now." He asked and started to stand, but the heavy hand of the gun wielding man pushed him back down.

"I guarantee you that no one will bother you again." 

"Thank you." Dr. J closed his eyes and let a weak smile cross his face. He didn't see the man raising his gun he didn't hear the safety being released in fact he didn't even feel the bullet as he shot through his head and back out the other side. 

Hammond watched the old man fall to the floor a pool of blood circling his head. "I told you that you would never be bothered." He said smirking slightly and put his gun back in his belt. Just as he turned away for the still bleeding corpse Smith came around the corner. 

"What happened?" He asked his brows raised. "I heard a gunshot. What happened?" 

"Did you get the information?" Hammond demanded avoiding the original question. 

Smith shook his head. "Yeah I got it, but what happened. Why did you shoot?" 

Hammond turned back around where he could see the old man's mechanical hand hanging just around the corner. A deep pool of black crimson blood soaking into the Doctor's sleeve. "He tried to attack me. Stupid thing to do, but I think the man had a bout of conscious." 

Smith snorted. "I find that hard to believe. We promised him everything he wanted." 

Hammond shrugged and gave a knowing smile before he plucked the disk from Smith's hands. "Well at least now we don't have any loose ends to tie up." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Colony** ~~~~~~~`

Duo felt a pounding in the back of his skull like his head was going to explode. He groaned and pulled himself to a sitting position on the table he was sitting on. His hand flew to his head and he pushed his hair out of his eyes as he tried to remember what had happened. It was slow in coming, but Duo remembered the gunshots and waiting but after that there was nothing. If he was someone's captive it was strange that they hadn't even tied him up. He was free to find any means of escape. Who ever it was didn't have much faith in him? But he had been caught and it seemed to be without much effort because despite the pounding in the back of his skull there appeared to be nothing else wrong with him. 

Letting his feet slide off the end of the medical table he stood on his feet and took in his surroundings. He was in some sort of lab. There were bottles and viles all around him reminding him of a cliché mad scientist's lab. The room was dark except for a single buzzing fluorescent light over his head. The walls and even the floor where steel. Taking a couple of steps forward, Duo tried to think of who would be out of his head. The only thing that would make any sense would be some remnants of Oz or perhaps White Fang, but if it was why? 

As his muddled mind came back to reality he remember his raven haired love and almost jumped when it hit him. She had been hidden in the attic. What had happened to her? Did they get her too? Did whoever was after him kill her? His chest ached with the thought and he pushed his bangs out of his face and stumbled forward his hand flying out and resting on one of the tables for support. 

"Hilde…." He whispered and frowned. If those bastards had done anything to her there was going to be hell to pay. Of that he was sure, but after the revenge had been dealt would he be able to live with out her. Before he could ponder the horrible thought any longer he heard the door to the furthest corner of the room open and the darkened inside was bathed in a false light. A young boy probably no more than sixteen with even that much walked in a tray in his hands and a wary smile on his young face. Duo watched him cautiously as he walked toward him the boy's wild black locks swirling around his face and his deep green eyes begging for attention. 

"So you're Duo Maxwell." He said his voice in a stunned awe. "I never thought I would see you." He set the tray down on the medical table Duo had occupied only moments ago and pulled his weight up to sit beside it. "The pilot of 02." 

"Glad to know I'm famous." Duo responded sarcastically and glared at the younger boy wondering if it had been him who had kidnapped him. 

"It wasn't me." The boy said shifting from the table and to the floor again. 

"What?" Duo asked dragging his eyes to the boy's. 

"I'm not the one who did it. I didn't kidnap you." He said explaining himself. "That was Mace." 

"Mace?" Duo asked. "Who the hell is that and what the hell do you want with me!" He charged forward his temper flaring with each passing second. He grabbed the boy around the neck and shoved him into the table knocking the food across the room. "Who do you work for and what did you do with my wife." He growled his eyes almost glowing with rage. The boy was surprisingly calm under Duo vice like grip and it unnerved him a bit. "Answer me." Duo demanded and slammed the boy's head into the table. 

"You really are the God of Death." The boy breathed a smile etching his young face. "They told me you would try to kill me. That's why I placed something special on me." He grinned. "If my heart stops beating or I stop breathing in fact if you so much as hurt me it'll go off and you'll explode." 

"Why kill yourself kid either way you'll meet an untimely death." Duo asked and pushed a little harder on the younger boy's throat. "What makes you think I don't have a death wish." 

"Because I know you're married and if anything happens to me I guarantee that not only you will cease to exist but so will your wife." He chuckled a little and smiled. "Now if I were you I'd let go." 

Duo growled in frustration and released his grip his hand flying out and breaking some of the glasses littering the counter tops. It all fell to the ground in a shower of broken glass. "What the hell do you want!" 

"Temper, temper." The boy chided. "We don't actually want you Mr. Maxwell. You see we're just after your friend and we had mistaken him for you." 

"Who?" Duo croaked. 

"Troy." The boy said smiling. "We're after Troy." 

"Who's that?" Duo asked sincerely perplexed. 

The boy cocked his head to the side. "So he didn't tell you. That's sort of humorous. Well I don't think it matters but he's the one you know as Heero Yuy. You can't warn him. You can't get out and if you do you'll be killed." 

Duo's mind was racing. 'What did this kid mean and why was he telling him?' "Why are you telling me." Duo asked. "I mean besides making my day more pleasurable what do you have to gain from telling me?" 

"Nothing really. I just always wanted to see the God of Death and I don't have anything else to talk about." The boy paused and turned to the door. "I'd better go though. If they find out I came to see you I'll have hell to pay." 

"What's your name kid." Duo asked. 

The boy smiled. "Mitchell." 

"Well Mitchell next time you come to visit I suggest you have something better to discuss or I might ignore the fact that you're a walking explosive and beat the shit out of you." To Duo's surprise the boy smiled at the comment. 

"I'll make sure to keep you well informed." The boy winked hastily and hurried out the door leaving Duo to himself.

Duo sank to the floor and looked at the food that had been splattered across the room. Damn he just had to knock all of it on the floor. He was starving. The last think he had had to eat was dinner and he didn't know how long that had been. Duo sighed and thought of what the kid had been talking about. Could Heero's real name be Troy and why hadn't he ever told anyone and for that matter why would they be after Heero? What possibly would they have to gain? Heero would do nothing for them and he would kill himself before they were able to use him as a hostage. It didn't make any sense and that kid made even less sense. In sick sort of way it seemed to the worshipped him. The way he had smiled at his threats they way he had grinned so happily when he'd asked the boy's name. What kind of organization trained kids like that?

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OHHhhhh!!!!! Things are getting interesting. Tell me what you think. If I get a big enough response I'll post the next chapter. Send comments to Peanutbutter199@hotmail.com**. Thanks!**


	5. Caught

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Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_I love the feedback! You guys are great! Thanks much for all of you who have reviewed from the very first chapter. Thank You!

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Perfect Soldiers 

Chapter 4 'Caught'

~~~~~~~~~~~ **Preventer's base** ~~~~~~~~~~~~` 

"Troy?" The words left Sarah's lips before she could think. It had been so long since she had seen him. So long since their fight to save themselves. So many years since he'd run away and never come back. 

"Who's Troy?" Heero asked her his face remaining without expression. 

Sarah shifted her gaze to examine him. His features though matured where the same. His hair the same deep chocolate color and his eyes the same deep cobalt blue. In fact the face he know wore was the one she had seen him so many years ago. When he was nothing more than a scared little boy. So much had changed. "Heero. I mean Heero." She paused and wondered if the name meant anything to him, but it didn't appear as if it did. 

"Who took Duo?" He asked immediately getting right to the point and ignoring her earlier blunder. 

"An organization called Dragon." Sarah said slowly and decided that now was not the time to tell Troy of his past. Now it was time to win the man's trust before she would be able to make him believe the truth. She had to prove herself to him. "I know because they have my brother." She paused for a moment and pulled a scrap of cloth out of her pocket and handed it to him. 

Heero took it from her fingers and examined it closely. "What is it?" He asked tiredly as if he didn't believe a word she was saying. 

"It the end of a dragon and the tip of a broad sword. It's their symbol. I found it on the window of my brother's room five days ago." 

Heero looked at her skeptically and wadded the cloth up and tossed it back at her, which she caught promptly. "I don't have time for this." He said coldly and turned to Relena. "Why did you bring her up here?" 

Sarah watched as the former princess opened her mouth to answer but shook her head instead. "There's something about her Heero. She says she knows who you are." 

Heero turned his gaze Relena back to the girl. "What do you know about my past?" 

"I know that you have parents." Sarah began trying to capture his attention. "Their names were Terri and Henry Mathers. Your mother had dark brown hair just like yours and you father he had your eyes." 

Heero just looked at her disbelief apparent in his eyes. He turned away and sat back at his computer. His bangs hanging over his face as he looked at the screen. Sarah didn't know if he was in pain or not. She couldn't read the man's hard expressions but she knew that somewhere inside him was Troy the boy that had saved her life. That refused to be a slave to other's rule. Before she could say anymore Relena had her arm on the younger girls shoulder and started to lead her out, but Sarah wrenched her way out of the woman's hold and reached deep into her pocket until her fingers folded around a bent and faded photo. 

"Look!" She told him bluntly. "I have proof. They're right here. They look exactly like you. You can't deny it!" She held the photo few feet from him and was surprised when a lightening quick hand plucked the picture from her fingers and looked at it. "I told you." She said softly and watched his expression harden once more. 

Heero looked at the picture a faint yearning building in his chest with the possibility. Could he have a past? Did he ever have parents? He looked at the picture closely and had to admit they did resemble them, but if those were his parents then what of Dr. J. He had always told him that he was a war orphan whose parent put him in an orphanage when he was still a baby. He had known Dr. J for years and this girl he had only met there was no way he would trust her. Creasing his brow Heero put his thumbs beside each other on the side of the picture and ripped it in half. He watched it float to the floor and turned to look at her. "I don't have parents." 

Sarah looked up from the floor. She hadn't planned to tell him everything but it seemed there was no other way. Dr. J's warning still burned in her ears but she had to tell him. If she didn't make him believe then it would be too late. She reached into her pocket again and pulled out a letter. 

"I know who trained you." She said and tossed him the letter, which he caught. "You wrote this letter to me and my brother when he found you. It's your handwriting. You can have it checked." She watched as he pried the letter open and read the two sentences written there. 

"That doesn't prove…" He began but Sarah reached out with almost as quick an reaction as he and grabbed his arm she pulled up the sleeve of his Preventer's shirt and point to the scar on his forearm. "I know how you got that! You used to have a tattoo on your arm. I don't know if you remember it or not. It was a dragon curled around a broadsword. It was right there." She poked his flesh one more time before he grabbed her fingers and pushed her violently away from him. 

"If what you say is true then who am I and who is Dragon? Why are they after me?" Heero almost appeared enraged but Sarah stood her ground. 

"Nine years ago when I was six and you were eight…" Sarah began to recount the entire story or at least as much as she could remember from her point of view. When she finished Relena was shaking her head and Heero was giving her a cold glare. 

"Are you finished?" He asked and she nodded. "Then leave." He pointed for the door. 

Relena looked at him. "Heero I don't think she's making it up. It's too weird not to believe." She put he hand on his arm but he pulled away. 

"If what she say is true than what does that make me?" He asked her his expression softening for a moment before they hardened again and he glared at Sarah. "Get out." 

"I know about the little girl Troy. I know about the dog and those buildings. I know you remember that. Don't things about it seem out of place? How long where you away from training after that. It's it odd that you don't remember…"

Heero blinked as something she said sparked a memory a very distant one. He remembered the day he had killed the girl. How he'd carried the small brown dog back to the base and buried it in the yard. How bad he had felt…How…Heero crinkled his brow as a burning started in the back of his mind as he tried to remember. He had gone to Dr. J and then…The burning intensified so much that he had to reach his hands up and grab his skull. The doctor had called him… Heero could see the man's lips moving in his mind, but no name would come. This time the burning was a white-hot fire that consumed his mind and sent him into darkness.   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

"Heero!" Relena called in alarm and jumped from her seat and to his side. She pulled his limp body to a sitting position and shook him lightly. "Heero? Wake up." Relena turned her panicked expression on the girl who had seemingly caused all this. "What did you do." 

Sarah pulled her gaze from the fallen man and back to Relena. "I…I don't…I was just trying to make him remember." 

Relena turned away from the girl and back the man who had captured her heart so many years ago. She looked him over and found his chest was still rising and falling as he breathed. In fact he seemed to be in a deep sleep. That fact did nothing to calm her though, she wanted to know what had happened and why he had grabbed his head that way and mumbled something about a dog over and over before he fell over. 

Sarah came to kneel beside Relena and tapped the woman's arm. "I'm sorry Doctor J warned me that something might happen if I tried to make him remember, but I had to." She paused. "I didn't know he would do this. I didn't know…" 

"What did Dr. J do to him?" Relena whispered as she stroked his hair waiting for him to awaken. 

"Erased his memory so he wouldn't remember Dragon or his promise to never become a soldier." Sarah stated and turned her head. She heard something, something very slight. Sarah narrowed her eyes and peered at the door. Was there something on the other side? 

"They must have put a block in him." Relena continued unaware of the other girl's distress. "So that if he ever were reminded of something or his memory came back this would happen. Do you think that we can take it out?" Relena turned to ask Sarah and saw the girl rising to her feet her gun raised and her eyes narrowed. "What?" 

"I hear something." Sarah whispered. "I don't know what it is, but I can sense it." She paused as the new feeling rushed over her in a wave. Was this another part of her suppressed training? Sarah paused as she listened trying to catch any small noise but this time nothing reached her ears. 

"Sarah!" Relena called in a panic as she looked at Heero's forearm. It was starting to glow a faint pulsing yellow through his sleeve. Frantically Relena ripped the material backwards and saw his arm pulsing and with each pulse the symbol of a Dragon appeared in his skin. All doubt was gone as she looked at it and something told her that there was danger just ahead. "We've got to get him out of here!" 

Sarah turned from her position and almost balked at the glowing symbol on his arm. She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah I don't know what it is, but I sense something is close. I feel it." Just as the words left her mouth something dropped from the ceiling landed silently in front of a stunned Sarah. Sarah felt her fingers shaking as her gun started to fall from its erect position. It couldn't be but it was. It was her brother. "Mace?" She whispered.

Relena watched the display a growing dread filling her. Something about the young man made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. His eyes were absolutely empty. Quickly she wrapped her arms around the unconscious Heero's upper body and dragged him under on of the tables. Perhaps they hadn't been seen and maybe she could wake him up.

~~~~~~~~' 

Mace cocked his head to the side and examined the gun-carrying girl in front of him. He had to admit that she was slightly familiar, but other than that small recollection she was of no interest to him. His eyes didn't rest on her for more than a second before he turned his attention away from her and saw a pair of feet disappearing under a conference table. 

"Don't move." 

Mace turned away from the place his target had gone and back to the girl. She had her gun raised and was looking at him as if she planned to finish him off, stupid. Looking her up and down he immediately knew that she was no threat. He only needed to unarm her and if necessary kill her. Moving swiftly he jumped for her and was surprised when she pulled the trigger. Her reaction time was fast, almost as fast as his was. He tried to dodge but the bullet grazed his shoulder. Mace stopped his advance only for an instant so he could change directions and grabbed the gun from her shaking fingers and punched her in the stomach letting her crumple to the floor. 

"You'll pay for that." He growled as he turned the gun on the girl. No one was better than he was no one. Mace eased the trigger back just as she looked up at him her violet eyes pleading with him and wet with unshed tears. 

"Please, Mace." She whispered. "Fight it Mace." 

Mace faltered his hand tightening on the handle of the gun but unable to pull the trigger. Something about her pleading face pulled at him and wouldn't allow him to pull the trigger. He growled again and lunged at her pulling her up by her hair and ignoring the cry of pain that escaped her lips. He held the gun to her temple his eyes burning into her innocent ones. It happened again the pain flared and then it was white.

_"Stay here Sarah." Mace whispered as he released her hand and looked into the darkness trying to make out landmarks so he would know which way to go. _

"Don't leave me." She called after him on the brink of screaming her little hand shooting out to grab hold of him and pull him back toward her. "I don't want you to leave me alone. I'm scared of the dark." 

Mace frowned as she kneeled next to her. "I have to go Sarah. If you want to get out of here I have to go." He saw her lip quivering as he explained and knew she was about to cry. Quickly he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight the size of a pen and pressed the top of it. A small light illuminating the darkness only a few inches around his fingers flared to life. He thrust the small light at her and wrapped her fingers around it. "Hold this until I get back and you won't be in the dark." 

"Okay." She mumbled holding the light tightly. "Then we'll go home, won't we." 

"That's right we'll go home and never have to fight again and you won't have to be afraid of the dark anymore." 

Mace blinked and dropped the girl his grip on the gun failing him as he let it drop to the carpet along with her. Where had that come from? Mace knew he had to shoot her but something wouldn't let him. Growling fiercely Mace stalked toward her and kicked her again. If he couldn't kill her he could at least keep her from talking. 

~~~~~~~`

Relena peeked out from behind the table her lip trembling and her fingers shaking with fear as she caught sight of the man beating Sarah until she wasn't even able to call out. They had to get out and quick. She couldn't wake Heero and she knew that as soon as he was done with Sarah he would come after them. She wanted to help Sarah, but if what she had been saying was true then they would do that to Heero and she couldn't let that happen. 

Wrapping her arms around his chest and under his arms, Relena tugged him using all her strength to pull him from under the table. Moving as quickly and as quietly as she could Relena dragged him around the enraged man and tried to ignore the way Sarah slumped limply on the floor and focused on the door. Her only escape and only chance to save Heero. She was almost there the door was only inches from her grasp. In a last instance of panic Relena looked over her shoulder and saw the man turning from Sarah's beaten body and back around to retrieve his gun. She didn't have anymore time. Tugging harder she pulled Heero to the door her fingers wrapping around the doorknob. Relief washed over her as she pulled it open. 

Before she could even think to look up the door was shut again. Relena looked up and found herself face to face with the inhuman man who Sarah had called Mace. Relena gulped and shoved Heero behind her shaking the whole time. What would he do to them?

"You won't get away with this!" She yelled at him as she shoved herself and the unconscious Heero backwards.

He didn't say anything but reached down his hand wrapping around her neck as he pulled her off the ground with unbelievable strength. She felt all the air leaving her lungs, as she was unable to breathe. Her eyes widened as she looked at him knowing that he would kill her. Giving her a tight squeeze he pulled her back and flung her across the room. Relena felt a scream escape her lips as she slammed into the side of the conference table a pain racing through her body and making it hard to breath. She could hardly see Heero through her blurred vision and she tried to get up but her body refused to listen and she fell into the darkness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Preventer's base Lady Une's office ~~~~~~~~`**

"I hate to say it but whoever is after us might be too skilled for us to stop." Quatre mumbled and glanced across the table at Lady Une. "But despite this we can't give up. We can't stop because we are the only ones that come even close to this guy. If we don't more than should will perish. There had to be a reason they're after us and we'll find out soon. If things play out we should hear something from Duo's captures soon and we'll work from there." 

Lady Une sighed. "I don't know if this is such a good idea Quatre. For all we know Duo is dead." 

Quatre frowned and closed his eyes for a moment. "I know that he's not dead." He said firmly. "I would know if he were dead." He smiled faintly. 

Lady Une shook her head. "I can't rely on that Quatre. Just because you think you're connected to the pilots it doesn't mean that you're always right." 

Quatre shook his head firmly. "I know he's alive and if they do anything to him I'll know. Right now we need to try and find out who is behind this." 

Sally sighed beside her comrade and threw a stack of rubber band bound files across his desk. "Check this out." She sighed. "In here is every scientific attempt at the 'perfect soldier'. We have robots, genetically engineered human beings…everything but I might add none compare to what this guy did. By look at those bodies I would say he didn't even break a sweat." 

Lady Une flipped open the first file and read the title then looked through the rest. "Most of these projects were terminated." 

Sally frowned. "I know. It turns out that a few of the test subjects turned on their creators." Sally reached around him and grabbed on of the thinner files and pulled it out. "But this guy he was at a lot of these facilities. His name was George Hammond." Sally tossed Quatre the file. "He had hands and almost all of these projects. He's name is referenced at least a dozen times in other's research. If he's still alive he might be able to get us answers."

Quatre nodded. "It sounds like a good place to start. I'll get Heero, Wufie, and Trowa and we'll go check it out." 

Lady Une held up her hand. "I don't think so. All of you aren't going to go. Two of you can check him out and the other two I want here. There is no sense in all four of you disappearing." 

Sally nodded. "I have something else I want to check out in Asia." Sally said slowly. "I could use Wufie's help on that. Me and him found an abandoned research facility using our contacts and we believe it might be a lead." 

Lady Une nodded. "That's fine just take either Yuy or Barton with you." 

"Yes ma'am." Sally responded smartly and headed out of the office. 

"I think I'll take Heero." Quatre said evenly. "The man is driving himself crazy looking for a lead." 

Sally nodded. "I know me and Wufie were up all night. Finally we came across an old medical file in the government box and that's where the rest came from. This facility in Asia is kinda weird. It seems that over four hundred people were burned alive on the inside when it exploded. The place was full of bunks and quarter's very much like those of soldiers but it was supposed to be a medical research facility. There were supposed to be twenty licensed workers trying to find a cure for Cancer." Sally paused. "But that doesn't explain the extra people and why almost all of those there eighteen or younger." Sally shook her head. "I'm hoping if the government won't corporate then we'll be able to find something there." 

Quatre frowned. "I don't know but I wonder is this Hammond guy is linked with that place. Where was he when it was still set up." 

"Funny thing." Sally commented. "I can't anything on him at that time, but that he did take a flight out of Asia in AC 190. After that there is nothing. Good luck finding the guy." 

Just as the two of them rounded the corner a high pitched scream tore their thoughts away from the case. "That was…." 

"Relena." Quatre finished. Both of them dropped the papers and tore down the hallway. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Preventer's base** ~~~~~~~~~`

Sally pulled the door to the conference room open her gun raised ready to take aim on the attackers. All she caught sight of was a pair of military shoes being pulled through the ceiling tiles. Sally turned to Quatre who was at her side and nodded at him. He left her side and raced down the hall with full intentions of stopping the man who undoubtedly had Heero Yuy. Scanning the room she caught sight of Relena slumped on the floor a puddle of blood around her head where it had been cut open and her skin pale and drawn. Not to far from the former princess was another girl Sally had never seen. She was in horrible condition. 

Sally picked up the radio attached to her belt and called security. "We have a red alert. Red Alert! We have a man in possession of Preventer Heero Yuy making his way through the air ducts. I want the facility on lock down. No one gets in or out. Find him before he leaves! Quatre Winner is tracking him through the pipes. I repeat Red alert." Moments after her speech an alarm sounded and Sally bent down to press her fingers to the brown haired girl's throat. There was still a pulse if only a faint one. She then turned to the Relena, her friend, and pressed her fingers to the girl's exposed throat. The pulse there was strong but it was apparent she was in pain. Sally reached for her radio again and called for a medic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

Quatre kicked open the door to the ventilation room and pulled his standard issue gun from his holster and held it up as he charged into the room. Just as he thought there were feet dangling from the ceiling tile and then he saw one of Heero's pant legs. Quatre reached for the radio on his waist and called for back up. 

"Stop right there or I will shoot you." Quatre demanded as the man emerged fully from the shaft Heero slung over his shoulder. The man starred at him, or more accurately past him as he entered the room. Not even giving him a second glance the man turned and started out the door. Quatre took aim and pulled the trigger. To his amazement the man moved. He moved with such speed and grace Quatre couldn't follow him. He had dodged the bullet. How? 

"You'll be sorry you did that." 

Quatre swallowed refusing to let fear take over. "Move again and I will not miss." He warned as he took a stance and aimed again. 

"Your choice." The man said his eyes glazing for a moment as he set Heero on the ground and leaped toward Quatre with an animalistic rage. 

Quatre kept his eye trained on him and fired. In fact he fired repeatedly but he kept coming. He couldn't tell if any of his shots had met their mark, but it was impossible. He couldn't dodge this close. They were no more than a few feet from each other. Just as his gun ran out of bullets Quatre tossed it to his side and prepared himself for the blow that was sure to come. The man jumped on him knocking all the air out of his body as he flung Quatre backwards his skull striking the concrete wall. Quatre groaned as he tried to pull himself to his feet, but nothing was focusing at the moment. 

"Mission accomplished." Mace whispered as he reached for Quatre his fingers wrapping around the blonde's neck. He prepared to snap it in half when he felt a sharp stinging pain in his upper arm. Phased he dropped the blond and turned around where the shot had come from. Someone had shot him. A maddening rage filled him as he thought of the failure. He didn't, wouldn't fail. 

Trowa pulled the trigger again as he took aim on the enraged man whom had almost killed his best friend. Unfortunately he was prepared this time and none of Trowa's bullets hit their mark. He was disabled now though and moving visibly slower than before. Trowa tossed his gun to the side and jumped out of the way turning one of his flips in the small area before he landed and stood to face him again. The man, or whatever he was, was staring at him intently his eyes blazing. His legs were spread as if he planned to fight and his arms to the side, then as if he was given a better plan he jolted and darted into cover. Trowa did the same keeping an eye on Heero through his side vision. He couldn't see Quatre anymore but was content in knowing that he was probably out of the way. 

"One more inch and I snap his neck." 

Trowa turned slowly his eyes falling on the kidnapper and Quatre being held up by his throat. Trowa faltered. What should he do? Either way someone he cared about risked being killed. 

"One for the other, but if you take the other this one will die while if you take this one," He shook the lifeless body to emphasize his point, "won't live much longer." 

Trowa didn't have any choice with out back up any he didn't have a chance and he couldn't wait forever. Trowa lowered himself to the ground yelling a silent apology to his friend. At least know he knew both of them would be alive and Heero could take care of himself, couldn't he? "Take him." Trowa hissed through clenched teeth. 

"Good choice." The man mumbled and dropped the blond to the floor and scooped up Heero throwing him once again over his shoulder. 

Trowa remained that way until he was out of sight and heading down the stairwell. Then he yanked his com-link off his belt and yelled. "Everyone get you asses to the lower sector. He's headed for the basement. I repeat he's headed for the basement." 

Trowa threw his link across the room in rage and moved to his friend and felt for a pulse. There was one, as he had thought and he hoped he had done the right thing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Colony **

Duo closed his eyes his mind no longer functioning on normal terms. He didn't know what to do. He had spent what he guessed was the whole night and possible all day trying to find a way out, but it was as if every possible escape route had been planned and he was trapped. Draping his arm over his forehead Duo lifted his lids and wondered what this organization would have in store for him. It was obvious that they didn't want him. They were after Heero, but he was foolish to believe that they would just let him go. That was stupid. It was more likely that they would try something with him, maybe try to get some information out of him, but he doubted he had anything that they didn't already know.

"Are you hungry?" 

Duo didn't even sit up. It was the kid again. He had come back periodically over the last couple of hours and so nicely graced him with his obnoxious presence. Each time he had a bit more useless information to feed and this time he guessed it wouldn't be much different. "Kid I swear if you come back one more time I'm going to snap your neck off." Duo was surprised when the boy laughed at him. 

"I brought you something to eat. I figured this time you wouldn't throw it across the room." 

Duo lifted himself off the metal table and stalked toward the kid who didn't even flinch in his presence. "What is it?" He asked as he reached for the tray. 

"Does it really matter?" The boy asked as he handed the tray over and smiled when Duo shrugged at him. 

"I guess not. Food is food. So when do they plan on letting me out?" Duo carried the tray back to his table and sat down his feet crossing underneath his body as he picked up the plastic fork on the side of his plate and ran it through the mashed potatoes on the corner of his plate. 

"I'm guessing when hell freezes over or perhaps when the proclaimed God of Death goes to heaven." The boy replied smirking and making no motion to leave just yet. 

"Are you sticking around to make sure I don't choke on my food. So thoughtful of you." Duo jested as he brought the fork to his mouth to take a bite. 

"Do you ever wonder what's in that stuff." The boy asked his voice edging with something more than his usual hero-worship and indifference.

Duo put the fork back down and shrugged. "I really don't care at the moment. Why the sudden concern in what I'm consuming? Do you want me to share?" 

The boy immediately shrugged. "Nothing. I was just wondering if you even look at what you're putting in your mouth." 

"I'll put in whatever seems edible at the moment." Duo said shoveling a mouth full of the mashed potatoes into his mouth to emphasize his point. Duo chewed and poked his fork in the meat on the side of his plate covered in some sort of gravy and shrugged as he took a bite of that as well. 

"I would be more careful with what you put in your mouth." The boy said slowly his voice so different than before that Duo stopped to look up at him. The boy's eyes were rounded as he eyed Duo's tray with suspicion. 

"Are you telling me not to eat?" Duo asked for the first time examining his food more carefully. 

"No!" He called immediately. "I was just saying that you should check it out something might you now get in it." 

Duo dropped his plate beside him and glared at the boy. "What are you saying kid. Did you…" 

"No." Mitchell shook his head his arms waving. "No, I was just talking that's all." He gave Duo one last glance before he turned to the door and left. "Bye Duo." 

Duo glared after him and picked up his tray this time poking through the contents for a moment and found that there was nothing in them and shoveled some more into his mouth. "Ass." He mumbled between bites. I swear if that kid loves me I'd hate to think what he does to people he hates. It didn't take long for him to finish and when he was finished he dropped the plate on the floor and leaned back onto the table feeling tired. "Must have eaten too much." He mumbled just as his eyes closed and his hand fell limply to his side. 

~~~~~~~`

"That was close." Hammond nearly screamed as he watched the pilot snore. "I swear that kid almost gave us away. If he had said anything more Maxwell wouldn't have eaten all of that sedative. We're going to have to get rid of them sooner than we thought. Especially that Mitchell guy. He poses the most threat." 

"He's just star struck." Smith mumbled. "Duo Maxwell is his hero. That's all. He couldn't do what we ordered him to without warning him." 

"Doesn't matter. He's a threat. He's jealous of Mace and we haven't found a way to recreate the chip just yet and with the threat of him defecting we're going to have to get rid of him and quickly." Hammond grabbed hold of the disk to his right and put into the computer to his left and turned on the screen. "As soon as we have this procedure mastered. Duo Maxwell will be on our side." 

Smith shrugged and smiled. "It won't be that hard. We'll have his memory erased easily enough and we can keep his fighting sense intact. He'll know how to fight. He'll be our own little perfect soldier and as soon as we have Yuy back we'll have a nice little army to start with." 

"First we get that chip out of Yuy's arm and duplicate it so Maxwell here won't feel left out." 

"Yeah, I think Mace should be carrying out that mission right now. He's supposed to be at the Preventer's base at this very moment." Smith turned around and walked toward the radio that linked him to Mace. "I can contact him if you want." 

Hammond waved his hand. "No that's okay. He'll contact us when mission is accomplished. All we have to do is wait." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` 

"Mission complete." Mace called into his link as he switched on his frequency. "I have the target and I'm heading back to the base with damages minimal." 

"Damages?" Hammond asked disbelief stealing over him. "What damages?" 

"Shot in right arm, but still functions. Injury hardly damages fighting ability." Mace glanced at his arm that was bleed profusely but he didn't have time to tend to it right now. "Might require medical attention." 

"Acknowledged. Return to base immediately." 

Mace nodded thought there was on one to nod to. "Understood." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

****

So ends part one…You know that wasn't a whole lot of chapters but each chapter averaged about seven pages. That's pretty good.


	6. Nothing is the same

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

-Thanks for the feedback!

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 5 'Nothing is the same" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Hospital** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Relena opened her heavy lids and took in her surroundings. Something inside her was begging to scream but she managed to bite her lip to suppress it as she tried to remember why she was so tired and why… "Heero." The world escaped her mouth like it explained everything. She saw him clutching his head, screaming, the man, Mace, Sarah. All of it was swimming around in her confused brain. So much that didn't make any sense. As the reality dawned on her she sat bolt up right in her bed and almost screamed. "NO!" Then she felt the hands on her pushing her back down, back onto the bed but she didn't want to stay down she had to help Heero. Heero he was going to take him.   
"Relena, calm down. It's over. Calm down." 

Relena knew the voice. It was her brother. Her muscles relaxed under his hold and she blinked trying to focus and saw him standing over her his hands pressing her back into the mattress. Her brother, a bed, hospital. As if to explain her brain produced an image of her flying across the conference room and hitting head first into the table. "What…happened?" 

Zechs frowned as he ran his hand over his little sister's hair smoothing it out of her eyes. He would always see her as a little girl no matter what and he worried about her so much. "They took him Relena. I'm sorry. We're looking." 

Relena went still as the news hit her. "Who…the man…Sarah's brother?" 

"Sarah?" Zechs asked his hands leaving there restraining position and sinking his weight into the chair beside her bed. Is that who the girl in there with you was?" 

Relena nodded. "How is she. I saw… I saw what he did to her." 

"Still unconscious and in custody. We didn't know who she was and we couldn't find any records on her." 

"She's…her brother he's the one who took Heero…He's Troy…" All of her thoughts came out in one jumbled mess and Relena cleared her throat. "She knows why they took Heero. She knows everything. We have to stop them before they succeed." 

Zechs shook his head. "Relena you've been out for a week. We haven't heard anything about them. You just woke up and Sarah, as you call her, hasn't moved a muscle. We're at a dead end. We don't know where to go from here." 

Relena went pale as he tried to lift herself but found herself too weak this time to do it. "No, it can't be. We don't have time, dragon they'll…you have to find him." 

"What are you talking about. You're babbling." Zechs gripped her hand. 

"She told me." Relena whispered. She told me everything. "Please you have to believe me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

"How did the operation go?" Smith asked as he pushed his way through the doors as soon as the lights over head went off indicating that it was safe for him to enter. 

Hammond removed his blood covered gloves and smiled. "It went perfectly. Sense the last of his memory has been erased we should have no problems with him. The chip works perfectly. I already tested it." 

Smith shook his head. "I can't believe we pulled this off. Now we have three assassins on our side. Nothing can stop us from building our army." 

Hammond nodded as he removed his blood stained smock and threw it in the nearby trash can. His gloves landed in the heap and he looked back toward the room where the once braid welding pilot slept for the time being. "All we have to do is get rid of the others, like Mitchell and his crew. They're of no use to us now. Nothing can stop these guys and the defects need to be taken care of." 

Smith nodded. "I suppose you're right. I'll get Mace and Heero to deal with them." 

"Sure whatever. You can ever wait until the little boy here can join them." Hammond snickered. "Just as long as it gets done." 

****

Part ii 'I won't break… We refuse to give in to you…' 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Colony a week earlier** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero opened his eyes his throat was dry and his body ached and his head pounded. He still remembered the burning that had run through him when that girl had mentioned him training. Why had that happened? What connection did she have to him and why did she look so familiar? 

"So you're awake. It's about time. I was beginning to think they threw me a corpse." 

Heero blinked recognizing the voice immediately. "Duo?" 

"The one and only." 

Heero pulled himself to a sitting position. "Where are we?" 

Duo came out of the shadows his arms crossed over his chest. His face smeared with dirt and his hair less than kept. "No idea, but glad you decided to wake up know maybe they'll let you have some fun as well." 

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked confusion all over his face. "How did I get here?" 

"I'm sure about that buddy, but I do know that you've been out for about a day and you're lucky I remember you at all." 

"I don't understand…" 

Duo came further into the light showing the side of his head to Heero. It was shaved and stitches decorated his scalp. "Real trendy isn't it?" 

"What.." Heero was having a brain overload with what has happening. It was too much all at once. 

"They're erasing my memory and just for kicks they're doing it piece by piece. Maybe that way they have more fun. This morning I knew where I came from and now I can't remember anything past meeting up with Dr. O. I wrote a little on the floor with a piece of chalk. I scrawled a name." Duo lifted his pleading violet eyes to Heero and shook his head. "Maybe you can tell me who she is. I know she's important. I know she means something, but I can't remember what and it's killing me." 

"What's the name?" Heero asked swallowing hard. 

"Hilde. Who is she Heero and why do I feel as if I'm betraying someone when I can't remember her name." Duo reached out and grabbed hold of Heero's shoulder and pulled him closer. "Tell me who she is." 

"Your…she's your…wife." Heero told him unsure of how to handle the situation. Nothing made sense. He was so confused. 

"Wife, I'm married." Duo let a cry escape his throat as he turned violently from Heero and back to face the darkness. "I've got to get out of here. They're going to take all of it Heero all of it and make me one of them." 

"One of who?" 

"One of their 'perfect soldiers'." Duo spat bitterly as he sat back on his thighs and hung his head. "I can't remember anything. I don't…"

Heero came to his feet trying his best to take stock of his surrounding but it was hard to in the darkness. There were medical tables all around him and empty bottles and vials and just by scanning Heero knew that there was no exit doors that he would be able to break through. If there were Duo would have found them long ago. 

"So I see you're awake, Troy. Finally decided to join us did you." 

Heero turned slowly trying to catch the source of the voice but it was everywhere, an intercom. 

"Do you like what we're doing to your friend. Not quite as good as the job they did on you Yuy, but it serves its purpose." 

"As soon as I get out of here you're going to pay." Heero spat his words dripping with venom. 

"Big words for one who cannot do a thing." 

Heero clenched his fists at his sides and glared at the walls. "Coward! You won't even show us your face. Are you that afraid of us!" 

"Once again threats with no chance of ever being carried out. We take the precautions we have to because it's the smart thing to do. Whether we're cowards or not has nothing to do with it."

"Why have you brought me here. What do you want with the Gundam Pilots?" Heero looked around the room hoping to determine where the sound was coming from, but he couldn't pin point it. It was coming from all over. 

"We aren't after the Gundam Pilots!" The voice laughed. "We are only after you." 

"Then why did you take him. Why did you take Duo too." 

"Easy, we were looking for you Troy and he was the only other one that could have been you." 

"Why didn't you let him go?" 

"Because we could use him. You see we can use his strengths and all we had to do to accomplish that was destroy his weaknesses. That is why we are erasing his memory. You Troy are who we've been after." 

"Why do you keep calling me Troy?" Heero half screamed in reply. "I have no name. That's not my name." 

"But it is Heero." 

Heero turned from the ceiling and back toward the floor. "They told me everything. They told me that you and the guy who kidnapped me were the only ones left of your kind. Dragon assassins. You were their project and they came back for you."

"I don't remember this. This never happened." Heero growled as he remembered the searing pain he had experienced last time he'd thought about it. 

Duo sighed. "It doesn't matter. I won't remember any of it tomorrow. Heck if I'm luck they'll finish their job tonight and I'll never remember any of this. That way I can forget that I forgot who my wife was. That I can't remember my own wedding that I might have a child, that I have names and face swirling around in my head with no names to match them with!" Duo screamed and wrapped his hands around his skull. 

Heero watched him forgetting about the man listening in on them and went to his friend felling an odd sense wash over him as he watched his partner, the God of Death break down. He kneeled in front of Duo unsure of what to do. Should he touch him tell him that it was going to be all right. He was never any good with his feelings and right now things were in overload. 

"I don't want to be like him." Duo whimpered. "His eyes have no soul. I don't want to be like that." 

Heero shook his head and grabbed hold of Duo's hands pulling them away from his face. "We'll get your memory back as soon as we beat these assholes. You'll go back to your wife and one day you'll have lots of kids…all right, but right now I need you back with me. Without you we can't break out of here. I need you to help me." 

Duo's violet eyes glistened with unshed tears as he looked at Heero. His face hardened for a moment and he let a lopsided almost chaotic grin cross his face. "I suppose the God of Death shouldn't give up so easily." 

"Right." Heero mumbled as he fell to the ground beside his friend just letting himself breath. "We'll get out of here. We'll get you back to Hilde and I'll make sure they pay for this." 

"What if what they tell me is true and your one of them. As soon as they activate you Heero we have no chance of getting out. You won't remember any of it and I'll be nothing, an empty shell with no past." 

Heero glanced at his arm were there was a scar burned into his flesh. What if it was true and he was some sort of 'Dragon warrior'. What if the girl had been telling the truth and Relena? Oh God what if something had happened to her. He had to find out the truth and then he would make them pay for all of it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Hospital**

Quatre opened his eyes and groaned. He was surprised he wasn't dead. After the encounter he'd had with the man carrying Heero he thought for sure he would be a goner yet he was still alive despite the burning in his chest he was very much still alive. He knew instantly that he was in a hospital. He had seen them one too many times in his part time position at the Preventers. Groaning, Quatre pulled himself to his feet and went in search of his clothes that were probably in the closet. He was right and began pulling them on as he ignored the lacerating pain running through his body with each movement. He had just pulled on his pants when the door opened and Sally walked in. 

"I'm glad you're awake Quatre but I really don't think you should be up yet. You took some pretty bad hits back there." She frowned solemnly as he pulled on his shirt an uncharacteristic smile gracing his lips. 

"Did they get away?" 

Sally nodded at him sorry she had to be the one to break the news to him. She knew for a fact that he would blame himself. He had after all been down there one of the last people to see the assassin besides Trowa. "Yeah they got away, but it wasn't your fault." She added quickly. "Trowa tried to stop him but he couldn't" 

Quatre frowned. "Yeah…how is Relena and that other girl? Has there been any word at all?" 

"Relena is out. I don't know when she'll wake up. She took a pretty hard hit and the other girl was beaten within an inch of her life. She'll be lucky if she lives through another night." 

"How about Heero and Duo? Do we know anything else about them?" Quatre asked moving toward her as he winced with each step. 

"Nothing." She sighed. "Une, Noin, and I are headed to Asia this afternoon, but the rest of you guys are on lockdown. You and Trowa aren't allowed to leave this hospital for any reason. Wufie and Zechs are under protective custody. We're not taking any chances." 

Quatre shook his head. "I can't sit around here and do nothing." 

Sally shook her head. "Same thing Wufie said except yours was a lot friendlier." She smiled. "Just think of it as a vacation for right now and don't blame yourself as I know you are already doing. It's not your fault and we'll have a lead sooner or later." 

"Yeah." Quatre mumbled. "I hope so." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`` **Asia twenty miles from desired destination**

As soon as the plane touched down in Asia Sally knew that it was going to be difficult to get anything out of the unwilling government. They weren't too proud of the incident that had happened a few years ago. Apparently a few of the residents of the burned building were identified. They were almost all kidnapped children, some of which had been missing for years. It had made them look really bad and now that they knew the Preventers were investigating what had been their most embarrassing slip up there were very reluctant to let anyone into the facility.

Lady Une slammed her fist onto the counter and turned around her eyes blazing with contempt. "I can't believe that there isn't a car in the entire city that we can rent! Don't you find it odd that not one taxi will stop for us!" 

Sally frowned. "I told you this was going to be hard. We stumbled onto something they don't want to talk about. They're not too happy that we're digging it up after so many years." 

Noin, who appeared to be the most calm of the group sat in a chair in the rent o car and rolled her neck cracking her back and turned her wrists. "Well I hope you guys are in shape because it looks like we have a long walk ahead of us." 

Une frowned. "Very funny." She grumbled her temper getting the better of her as she picked up he bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Real funny. I'm not supposed to be doing this. I'm not a field agent. I work in an office, behind a desk….grrr." 

"Just think of it as a camping trip." Noin replied as she followed her superior out the door and into the street.

Sally rolled her eyes and watched as the steamed Lady left the building and grabbed Noin's arm as they walked out. "Did you really have to do that. You know she's mad." 

"It doesn't matter whatever we would have said would have pushed her over the edge. We're suffering from major jet lag, we're hungry tired, and can't get any corporation. The out burst would have happened no matter what had come out of my mouth." 

"I guess you're right, but one good thing comes out of this trek." 

"What's that?" Noin asked arching any eyebrow.

"We can go over these papers. I have some information on a couple of the missing children during this time." Sally pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "It seems that a family in Florida had two of her children returned one who had been missing for three months the other had been missing for three years." 

"Where did they come from and how did they escape?" 

"There was a police report filed and apparently there was a third child with them at the time they returned home, but he ran. The kids reported his name as being Troy Mathers. They never found him again, but the girl and boy gave quite an odd story to the police the first time they were questioned. Later it did change, but they claimed that someone had been training them to kill." 

"When did you find this out!" Noin gasped as he grabbed Sally and have dragged her toward Lady Une. "Maybe if you had told her this before we left she wouldn't think this was such a waste." 

"Get a grip Lu. I just found this an hour ago while you guys were looking for a car. This was the first chance I had to tell you." Sally pulled away from Noin and continued at the fast pace by herself.

~~~~~~~~` **three hours later**

Lady Une pushed her shoulder length brown hair out of her face and shook her head as she grabbed a hair band from around her wrist and pulled it out of her face. It was sweltering out and she was about to die from the heat. "So your telling me that there was a massive cover up, I mean bigger than we originally thought. Whoever these people were they were kidnapping children and using them for experiments. Did the government inform the families that their children where found here?" 

Sally pulled a bottle of water out of her bag and put one hand in the middle of her back as she stretched backwards and sighed. "Well they were from all over the world. Some of them had been missing for more than twelve years. Either they felt there silence was less of a burden or they were horribly ashamed." 

"I'm betting on ashamed." Noin vouched as she pushed her hair out of her face put her hand in front of her eyes so she could gaze into the distance. "I think I see something." She paused and pointed. "Over there I think it's a fence." 

"I don't care what it is." Une replied, "But I'm taking a rest whether we're there or not." 

Sally shrugged. "I'm hoping we're hear because other wise we might have to camp out. It's probably past mid day." 

Lady Une groaned. "I hope not." With that said she moved from the side of the road into the woods where the very tip of a fence was visible. She heard Noin and Sally coming up behind her as she dropped her bag on the ground at her feet and breathed in a lengthy sigh. "Good God this place is huge." Une felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Sally beside her. 

"Yeah, and it looks like we're in the right place." 

Before them lay the skeleton of what had once been a massive research facility. What was left of the high walls were burned black and the ground around it was littered with debris. The ground was covered in green grass, but by the bright hue of it you could tell it had once been scorched black. 

"You'd think they'd have this place destroyed." Noin breathed as she dropped her bags and walked toward the rickety fence. "Especially if they were trying to hide something." 

"Perhaps they're still learning from it." Sally ventured. 

All three left their bags and walked through the gap in the fence and entered the facility. Their feet stepped over a large pile of rocks covered mostly by grass and moss as they made their way across. No one noticed the significance of it. Sally pulled out her camera and began snapping pictures. The sight was like something out of a Sci fi movie. 

"You think we can get inside?"

Noin looked across the field. "You think they have this place being watched?" 

"We most certainly do." 

All three woman turned around their hands on their hips were their guns were stored. Before them stood three heavily armed men. 

"Look we just got lost that's all." Noin started as she began reaching into her pocket. "All we want to do is leave. I'm just going to show you my driver's license. We're not even from here. We just took a wrong turn." 

"Don't even move." The man closets to them demanded his hand tightening on the gun and his eyes narrowing. "We know who you are, Preventers, and you're coming with us." 

****

Okay so what do you think????


	7. Endings and Beginnings

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_Thanks so much for all the reviews!!!! Lots more to come! No warnings just a little cussing and some blood.

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 6 'Endings and Beginnings'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` **Colony**

"Just like two love birds." Mitchell scoffed as he came into the room his boot slightly nudging the newcomer who was sleeping next to Duo. 

Heero opened one eye and sized up the new kid. He was no object. He was about to spring into action when Duo grabbed his arm stopping his attack.

"Don't, the kid is armed to explode if we hurt him." Duo coughed sourly and pushed himself to his feet. "I've learned to deal with his obnoxious mouth." 

"So sweet of you Duo. I never knew you cared." Mitchell smiled and extended his arms with food in them. "I heard that things are about to start. I told you to watch what you put in your mouth." 

Duo laughed. "I don't know what to make of you kid." His face fell immediately when he saw what the kid was carrying. He couldn't possible eat anything not after what happened last time. "Leave me out I don't really feel like eating." Duo said frowning and turned to Heero shaking his head. "Don't take it. Full of sedatives." 

Heero nodded. That made sense. Whoever it was who had him had to find a way to get to him. They must know that bomb strapped kids weren't going to work for long. Eventually they would be desperate enough to go through the kid if there was no other way out. 

"Hmmm…I did say something about that last time, but this time I would eat it." Mitchell said and reached into his tray and pulled up a green bean and stuck it in his mouth and chewed. "See still awake, still alive." 

"I don't think so kid." Duo mouthed as he moved away from the boy and back into the darker portion of the room. 

"Suit yourself." He commented casually and lay the tray on the ground in front of them. "It's there if you change your minds." With that he left and Heero and Duo were alone again.

Heero looked through the shadows to where Duo was sitting. He was looking at the floor again, his fingers tracing over the words he had written before he had come there. In dark black charcoal it read 'Hilde'. He ran his fingers through the chalk smearing it across his hands as he did so and beside it wrote 'Duo.' 

"What are you doing?" Heero asked swallowing hard and at a loss for what to do. 

"So making sure I remember my name." Duo whispered as he ran his fingers of the writing again. "You know when they finish what they've done to me maybe I'll come back in here one day and this name will make me remember. You that I'm the great Shinigami, that I saved the world that I once had a wife who I don't remember." He trailed off a deep sigh escaping his throat, "But you said we were getting out. So maybe this is pointless." 

"Yeah Duo." Heero mumbled not knowing what else to say. "We'll get out of here." It was an empty promise and he had no way of carrying it out. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this. "Is that kid the only on that comes in here?" 

Duo looked up his glazed eyes blinking as if for an instant he didn't know who Heero was. "Um yeah." He said slowly and looked back at the floor his fingers moving against the concrete again. "He's the only one." 

"Do you think he's really set to explode?" Heero questioned again his mind running wild with the possibility. 

Duo shrugged. "I have no idea, but I do know that he is very into this organization. He's one of their agents, possible the one that beat you up for those files." 

Heero stiffened. 'Could that kid possibly be the same one.' His mind ran over his last encounter with the black clad thief. It seemed the boy was about the same size. 

"But there is the fact that he keeps warning me about stuff." Duo added absently. 

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked his thoughts straying for a moment. 

"He warned me about the food and I think he kind of worships me." He paused, "you know like a hero worship type thing." Duo slumped over and continued to write. 

"Strange why to show his affection." Heero mumbled and looked away from Duo to the door. 

"And you're one to talk Mr. 'I'm going to kill you'" Duo sniggered and got to his feet brushing his hands off on his pants.

"Doesn't seem you've forgotten everything." Heero remarked dryly and turned to Duo a plan forming in his mind. "If you really think this kid worships you can't you use that to your advantage?" 

"Tried." Duo mumbled. "They've got him tighter than any hero worship can bring him. He has more at stake than his own life." 

"How do you know that?" Heero asked. 

Duo shrugged as his gaze went to the floor again. "I have no idea, but I do know that it's there, whatever it is." 

Heero followed his friend's gaze to the floor where he had scrawled a number of names. Under each name was a small description. 'Heero: Brown hair blue eyes friend wing Zero, Relena: blond nice legs, O'jousan, Trowa: flips Heavyarms, Hilde: wife, Quatre: blond…' the descriptions went on and on as did the names. Some where really short it seemed he vaguely remember the most important people in his life. It was sad. Trying to lighten the mood Heero spied Relena's again. 

"'Nice legs,'" He echoed and raised a brow at his friend. 

Duo laughed. "Don't worry man I'm not moving in on your territory. I just never forget a nice pair of legs." 

"Relena is not my territory." Heero objected readily. 

Duo shook his head and frowned. "I just thought I'd write that so I would have a little of my old life left. I don't want to forget you guys."

"We're not giving up yet remember." Heero reminded him as he pulled his gaze from the concrete memorial. "Right now we need to figure out how to get out of here and I think our best bet is to get that kid to listen to us." 

~~~~~~~~~ 

"So you're telling me that they won't eat." Smith shook his head and moved from his desk and stalked toward Mitchell. 

"Sorry." Mitchell said shrugging. "They refuse to touch it. Since the little incident with Duo I don't blame them." 

"Don't get smart with me kid." Smith chided as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "I don't have time to correct your mouth and be honest with you your getting on our nerves just a little bit." 

"Well excuse me oh master." Mitchell replied cheekily. "I didn't realize I was steeping on any one's toes." 

Smith felt his anger peaking. That kid had a tendency to really get on his nerves. Pulling his hand up Smith slapped the boy across his face before he could deflect the blow and kicked him in the stomach sending him sliding across the floor. 

"Brat." He hissed. "If you don't shape up you can kiss your life goodbye, and as for the rest of you little idiots well you can guess what will happen there." 

Mitchell's eyes were smoldering but he didn't make any attempt to retaliate. One day he would get them back. One day when so many didn't depend on him, when he was free to make his own choices. 

"Get your suit. We have a job for you." Smith hissed as he looked over his shoulder at Hammond who had just entered the room. "We need you to go on a supply run." 

"Sure." Mitchell mumbled and pulled himself to his feet. "Whatever you want. Just tell me where when and how?" He said taking in a sharp breath as she clutched his stomach. 

"Preventer's base, Research lab. Break in using fake security supplied by us. Be ready to be caught and don't screw up. We need everything on this list." Hammond said handing the boy the paper. "Don't screw up." 

Mitchell saluted him sloppily and spun on his heel. "Yes, sir." He yelled sarcastically and marched out the door. "Anything for you sir." 

Hammond watched him leave a frown forming once again on his old face. "That's it. That kid is gone. I saw the way he was looking at you. He's going to do something stupid soon, just wait." 

"Not while we've got his family under our fingers. If he does anything to try and get away. If he does anything rebellious we'll kill them and then we'll kill him, but right now we have things to do. We need to get that Maxwell guy back here so we can finish the operation." 

"I know. It won't take long. We'll just drop some gas in there with them and next thing they know they're asleep. Easy." Hammond shrugged and turned back to his console.

"Yeah real easy." Smith mumbled under his breath and turned back to the chip he was working on. It was almost finished. All he needed to do was take a look at Trey's to make sure. He didn't want to risk messing up Mace, but Trey hadn't even been activated yet. As soon as he did that he would put it in the Maxwell kid and there wouldn't be anything that could stop them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``` **Asia**

Lady Une wanted to scream and she would have, but there was a gag in her mouth stopping anything from coming out but a muffled mumble. She was cussing cursing screaming and all of it was for nothing. She was pissed right now. Pissed because she wasn't supposed to be a field agent, because things were so screwed up right now and two of the worlds greatest heroes had been captured and were probably being tortured and the only people who could do anything about it were being held hostage. She hadn't seen Noin or Sally since they had been captured. They were being kept apart. Whoever this was were very good at what they did. The must have intelligence everywhere. They had known who they were and why they were there before they had even gotten there. Who where they and what did they want with three Preventers? 

"So Lady have you calmed down yet." 

Lady Une turned her intense glare on the man in front of her. She hadn't even begun to calm down yet. Her temper was far fiercer than anyone else she knew. She hardly ever got mad but when she did 'watch out'. Shaking her fallen hair out of her face she rolled her eyes at him and struggled against her hold. She really had to get out of this. 

Instead of leaving the man came toward her and removed her gag. Lady Une let out a relieved sigh and turned her gaze on her capture. "What do you want with us?" She asked relieved that her mouth was free once again. 

"Well first we want to know what you three are looking for out here?" He was so close Lady Une could feel his breath on her face. His dark green eyes were looking into hers. He wanted answers. 

"Answers." She said simply her gaze not leaving his. "We're just looking for answers." 

"Answers to what questions?" He asked breaking eye contact with her and moving away for a moment. 

"Why should I tell you anything. You already seem to know enough about us." She told him and turned her eyes away from his tall form and looked at the floor. 

"You've got this all wrong." The man replied shaking his head as he came back toward her this time kneeling in front of her one of his hands resting on he knee. "We're on your side. We just had to make sure you guys were who we thought you were." He smiled showing his white teeth. 

"Yeah right." Lady Une replied as she brought the toe of her shoe up and kicked him in his unprotected groin. "Asshole!" She screamed at him as he fell backward curses escaping his mouth in some foreign language. 

"Une what are you doing?" Sally called as she looked into the room and raced to the man's side and pulled him to his feet. "Are you all right?" She asked

The man nodded and took a deep breath as he got his feet and squinted his eyes. "I swear woman know right where to stick it to a man. Jeez." 

"What's going on here?" Lady Une demanded her anger way beyond raging. "Why are you talking to him? Where am I and what the hell is going on?" 

The man who had spoken to her earlier straightened and moved behind her and released her bonds. "I swear I was just trying to explain things before I let you go. I didn't want you to attack me, but it seems you did that anyway." 

Lady Une jumped from her seat and walked to Sally's side. "Where's Noin?" 

Sally shrugged. "I don't know. She's probably walking around. I saw her when they let me go." 

"Who are they?" Lady Une asked exasperated. 

"Easy we're after the same man you are." He said happily and extended his hand. "My name is Anthony Tabin and I run this unit." 

"Who is that?" Une asked taking his hand a little unsurely. 

"George Hammond." He said evenly. "All of us here have a special dept to repay him with." 

"And what would that be." Une asked raising a brow as she released his hand. 

"Easy. We know exactly what happened in this facility over nine years ago because we where there. Me and my men are the surviving Dragon army." 

"Dragon army?" Une asked. "What are you talking about?" 

Sally put her hand on Une's shoulder. "Trust me this is a story you'll want to be sitting down for. I don't know how this ties in with Heero and Duo but I do know why they took them now and not only that but we have some pretty nice allies to take back with us to the Preventer's headquarters." 

"Allies whose motive is vengeance." Une reminded her and leaned over whispering in her ear. "What makes you think we can trust them." 

"Oh you can trust us." Anthony said happily. 

"How did you hear that?" Une asked. 

"Oh we have a few abilities that might surprise you." Anthony mused lightly and winked at her. "Trust me when I say we are more like an army of a thousand than a few hundred." 

"Whatever you say. When do we get to go back?" Une asked. 

"Whenever you want." Anthony replied, but you have to bring us with you." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~````

"You're telling me that you've been raised as a soldier ever since you were six that is until you were eighteen." Lady Une said in disbelief as she glanced at her friends sitting just to her sides. "I can't believe this." 

"Believe it." Noin whispered. "I saw all of it down to the chips in their arms. There is a tattoo on every one of them. The chips in their arms were all removed, but we can still tell what they were used for." 

"At least now we know what Hammond is after." Sally whispered 

"It seems he's looking to rebuild his army." Une said slowly, " and I have a feeling that Duo and Heero are an unknowing part of it." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``` **Colony**

Mitchell reentered the building and peeled off the suit as he began walking. The job hadn't been that hard. In fact he hadn't run into any trouble at all. It was all a piece of cake. Raking his black locks out of his face with his hand; Mitchell stepped out of the power suit and placed in the locker to his far left. Even if it had been easy his muscles still weren't used to the strain the suit put on him. After every trip his muscles ached. Rubbing his shoulder ruefully he sunk on the wooden bench in front of the locker and closed his eyes as he tried to massage the stiffness out of the sore muscle. 

"How'd it go?" 

Mitchell's eyes flew open as he heard the voice and he released his arm and glared into the darkness. "Too afraid to be by yourself." Mitchell scoffed as he caught sight of the small shadow hiding behind a row of lockers. 

"No." Came a numb reply. "I just wanted to know how it went." 

"Fine. What does it matter any way. I told you that whenever it was safe I would get you guys out. If you keep popping up like this then they'll catch me and that'll be the end." Mitchell got to his feet and slammed the locker shut. "Just be happy I'm willing to help you at all." 

"They moved me up." 

Turning sharply Mitchell felt his eyes widen before he could curb the reaction. "What?" 

"An upgrade. They moved me up." 

"Why?" 

"I don't know. You're the one with all the answers." 

"Your mouth is getting way too smart." Mitchell scoffed as a scowl reached his face causing his brow to crease. "How could they move you up. That doesn't make much sense. You don't know half the stuff I did when they moved me up in ranks." 

"I learned from the best, and I don't know but I think they're putting me in a suit next week." The boy stepped out of the shadows illuminating his childlike form. "That's way before they gave you one." 

"Yeah I know that." Mitchell grumbled. "But I don't know why they're doing it so early. I mean you're not ready. No one else is." 

"Does that mean you'll get us out of here sooner?" He questioned his blue eyes glistening with hope. 

"No…it's just that…" 

"Mitchell!" 

Mitchell froze and glared at the boy in front of him and waved his hand frantically as he tried to get him to step back into the shadows. It didn't take long; the boy was after all trained. Before Mitchell could even answer back there was no sign of him. 

"Yes, sir." He answered quickly spinning back around as he came face to face with Hammond. 

"How was the mission." Hammond hissed through his mike his voice seeming to screech more than normal. 

"Perfect." Mitchell smirked as he handed the bag full of stuff to Hammond. "No problems. Not even one guard." 

"Good." Hammond paused an uncharacteristic smile spreading across his weathered face. The smile gave Mitchell chills. 

"Is that all, sir?" 

"Yeah you're dismissed." Hammond waved his free hand and Mitchell started to walk away. "Just one thing though." 

Mitchell stopped and turned around again. "What…." His question dyed in his throat as he came face to face with a pistol. His eyes widened and he froze. He hadn't expected this. 

"Just that you forgot to get my thanks. For all your hard work." Before Mitchell could even move Hammond fired the bullet hitting him first in the stomach and the second one in his chest. 

Mitchell choked the blood boiling out of the pit of his stomach and down his chin. His hand was on his stomach as he teetered backwards. 'Shit.' Falling to his knees he looked up at Hammond who was smiling happily. 

"Thanks for all the help, but we don't need you anymore." Hammond hissed as he holstered his gun and walked around the bleeding youth. 

Mitchell reached his arm out trying to grasp hold of the doctor before he left but he couldn't reach and he fell backwards his breath coming in harsh thick gulps. His fingers were sticky with his own blood and he could hear was his heart beating in his ears. He could hear it slowing down. 'God this is it. I'm dying.' 

"Mitchell?" 

Turning his head to the side Mitchell caught sight of the boy. Hammond had never known he was there. No wonder the boy had been upgraded. They were done with him. Groaning, Mitchell beckoned for him to come closer. It was getting harder to breathe now. His vision was blurring he had to be quick. He had never wanted it to end like this. 

"What is it?" The boy's voice was choked perhaps close to tears, but then no one cried here. Tears didn't exist within these walls. 

"Get out." Mitchell gurgled the words barely coming out of his flooded throat. "Get….the fuck out." He let out a huge breath as a wave of pain raced through his failing, fading body. He didn't have long. "Can't save….get out." Mitchell reached out in an attempt to push him away but grabbed hold tighter instead and pulled him closer. He could see the fear in the boy's eyes. "Take my suit. Preventer's, go." Mitchell let go his eyes completely unfocused as he fell backwards and his world went black. "So Duo's not the God of Death after all." Mitchell whispered in his delirium and then he was silent. 

The black haired boy known as Raven scrambled backwards as he looked at the bloody stain on his shirt. Mitchell was dead. Shit, Mitchell was dead. Turning his face away from the boy and toward the wall he caught sight of the suit. 'Take my suit. Preventer's.' Mitchell's words still rang in his mind as he got to his feet and reached into the locker and pulled the suit free. He had to save the others now. He couldn't depend on anyone else. It was him. He was the one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``` 

Heero lifted his head his eyes barely opening as he caught the smell of something odd. His head was pounding and his body was heavy. 'What the hell was going on.' Heero lifted himself to his knees as he used his hands to keep him from pitching forward. Everything was swimming around him. Raising one hand to his head, he looked around trying to catch sight of Duo. He found him just to his right kneeling in front of his collage of names. 

Shaking, Heero came to his feet and stumbled toward his friend. He felt drugged. "Duo, what the hell." He managed before his breath ran out and he couldn't speak for a moment. 

"It's too late." Duo breathed as he looked at the floor. "It's gas. They're gassing us. The BASTARDS ARE FUCKING GASSING US!" Duo yelled as he rubbed his hand through his memorial smearing the names and descriptions past legibility. "Assholes. Can't fight us." He yawned as he finished his words and broke into a coughing spell. 

"Shit," Heero cursed. He had no idea what to do. It was too much and they had no way to get out. It would be much longer before he was out. He couldn't breathe in all of this and still get free. Falling to his knees beside Duo he tried to take small shallow breaths, but all that did was make him cough and gag taking in more than ever.

"Hope you did everything you ever wanted to." Duo wheezed, "Because as of now this is the end of the line. We're about to be mindless." With that Duo slumped falling forward. 

Heero groaned as he tried to think of something but his mind was fogged and nothing was coming through clearly. Then it hit him like a bolt. 'Mindless drones. Grads.' There was a pain stabbing at him in the back of his mind as he thought of it. 'I don't want to be like them.' He groaned and gripped his scull as something flashed through his mind. There were faces. Faces he had seen before, two boys, a girl, blood. "AHHH!" He yelled sharply as he fell forward. 'I'll never be part of Dragon.' Heero threw his hands outward to catch his fall. Looking down, he saw his arm glowing an intense yellow beneath his skin. There was the impression of a dragon in his flesh. Breathing heavily his vision swimming he looked ahead as someone wandered in through the haze. He had a mask on his face, but Heero knew that face. Crinkling his brow, Heero looked forward and frowned as it hit him. "Mace." He managed before his eyes rolled back in his head and he joined Duo in the land of darkness. 

Mace cocked his head and grabbed old of the man who had called his name's arm and then reached around and grabbed hold of the other one. Tugging hard, he pulled the two from the 'prison' toward the operating room. The time was now, or so the doctors had told him. These two were going to be his soldiers and together they were going to take over the world. Mace didn't care about that though, as long as he got to kill as many as possible along the way.

****

Things are looking more and more bleak for Heero and Duo…man I have problems…


	8. Why did she cry? There was nothing that...

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_Sorry for the delay but I have been battling a severe sickness. It's been going strong for about a week and is just starting to show signs of dying. Because of this I might be behind on my future posts.

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 7 'Why did she cry? There was nothing that could change it.'

******************* **Previous from chapter 5*************

Relena opened her heavy lips and took in her surroundings. Something inside her was begging to scream but she managed to bit her lip to suppress it as she tried to remember why she was so tired and why… "Heero." The world escaped her mouth like it explained everything. She saw him clutching his head, screaming, the man, Mace, Sarah. All of it was swimming around in her confused brain. So much that didn't make any sense. As the reality dawned on her she sat bolt up right in her bed and almost screamed. "NO!" Then she felt the hands on her pushing her back down, back onto the bed but she didn't want to stay down she had to help Heero. Heero he was going to take him.   
"Relena, calm down. It's over. Calm down." 

Relena knew the voice. It was her brother. Her muscles relaxed under his hold and she blinked trying to focus and saw him standing over her his hands pressing her back into the mattress. Her brother, a bed, hospital. As if to explain her brain produced an image of her flying across the conference room and hitting head first into the table. "What…happened?" 

Zechs frowned as he ran his hand over his little sister's hair smoothing it out of her eyes. He would always see her as a little girl no matter what and he worried about her so much. "They took him Relena. I'm sorry. We're looking." 

Relena went still as the news hit her. "Who…the man…Sarah's brother?" 

"Sarah?" Zechs asked his hands leaving there restraining position and sinking his weight into the chair beside her bed. Is that who the girl in there with you was?" 

Relena nodded. "How is she. I saw… I saw what he did to her." 

"Still unconscious and in custody. We didn't know who she was and we couldn't find any records on her." 

"She's…her brother he's the one who took Heero…He's Troy…" All of her thoughts came out in one jumbled mess and Relena cleared her throat. "She knows why they took Heero. She knows everything. We have to stop them before they succeed." 

Zechs shook his head. "Relena you've been out for a week. We haven't heard anything about them. You just woke up and Sarah, as you call her, hasn't moved a muscle. We're at a dead end. We don't know where to go from here." 

Relena went pale as he tried to lift herself but found herself too weak this time to do it. "No, it can't be. We don't have time, dragon they'll…you have to find him." 

"What are you talking about. You're babbling." Zechs gripped her hand. 

"She told me." Relena whispered. She told me everything. "Please you have to believe me."

****

*************************END *****************

~~~```` **Preventer's base day after Lady Une and CO's encounter with the soldiers **

Zechs looked up sharply as he heard the sound of a plane landing in the distance. It seemed that Lady Une and the others were finally. Sighing heavily, Zechs pulled himself to his feet and stretched rubbing his face as the worry washed over him. First Maxwell was missing, then Yuy and his sister was in critical condition in the hospital, Winner and Barton both were almost killed and they didn't have one lead. Perhaps the trip had been more helpful than he could ever hope for. They needed something. Anything to go off of. It had been almost two five days since Maxwell's disappearance and three days since Yuy's. The girl who they had found with his sister probably wasn't going to live.

"Zechs you there." Noin's overly tired voice came over his intercom and he pressed the button her face popping up on the screen. 

"Yeah, how'd things go?" 

"Better than expected." Noin responded. "I would like you to meet Anthony Talbin." Another man around his age popped up on the screen and smiled. 

"Who the hell is that." Zechs asked. 

"Well it seems we know almost exactly what's going on." Noin replied. "These men have been looking for George Hammond for a long time and I believe he's the one who kidnapped Heero and Duo." 

"Why'd you have to bring him back with you." Zechs asked raising a brow. 

"Well according to them we're going to have a war to fight and they're like an army of Yuy's." 

"How many are there?" Zechs questioned. 

"Only about two hundred." Noin reached out and pushed the screen around so he could gaze around the hanger. "Meet Dragon army." She announced and smiled off screen. "As soon as we get up there we have a story to tell you. One that I think might help us figure out how to get those two back." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```` **Colony**

"Put him back under. He's starting to come around." 

Heero heard the voices knew that he needed to do something that he had to try and get away, but he couldn't make his body move. Whatever it was they had given him left him completely helpless. He blinked as he tried to make the men over him come into view. One of them looked so familiar. He squinted as his vision swam out of focus trying to see why the man looked so familiar. 

"Who…" He whispered his voice sounding so weak. 

"Huh." The one who looked the most familiar turned to look at him a sick smile spreading across his face. His voice was mechanical. "So it seems the perfect soldier can still talk. Didn't think that was possible, but wonders never cease." 

"Who?" Heero asked again. 

"Doesn't matter Troy. You're not going to worry about it soon enough." The man whispered and smiled wider as he lowered a clear mask onto Heero's face. 

Heero wanted to say more. He wanted to say his name wasn't Troy, but the images came back and all the sudden he wasn't so sure of anything. 

~~~~~~~~~```

Duo held the bars between his finger as he looked through him trying to catch sight of anyone, but the place was empty. "What'd you do with him?" Duo yelled to no one his voice echoing in the silence. "What the hell do you want with us!" It was a question he would probably never know the answer to. Sinking back to the floor Duo wondered if he would ever get out. He wondered if he would even remember not remembering like he did now. He knew that if he did he would kill himself. He hated this. He knew there was something missing but for the life of him he couldn't grasp hold of it. 

Duo sat his back leaning against the cell door and closed his eyes as he banged the back of his head on the hard steel door. All it accomplished was making his headache and a loud banging to echo through the halls, but it was all he could do. Duo knew that the next time they came for him there would be nothing left. He didn't have a way to remember anything. Reaching to his side he pulled groped in the darkness for something. His fingers hit a tray that he had found in his room upon awaking and he grasped the end of a plastic knife. Gripping it he brought it back to his face and glared at it. Not enough to kill himself with, but maybe… Bringing it to his arm Duo began working biting his lip when it hurt the most, but refusing to stop, not until he was finished. 

The knife slipped from his fingers and to the ground stained in his blood. Hissing, Duo looked at his arm and pulled the sleeve down over the wound and breathed steadily for a moment trying to re grasp control. He was tried and he didn't want to deal with this anymore. Letting his eyes close he fell into a deep and troubled sleep. Not long after he drifted off the door to his cell opened and he was given a sedative and taken to finish the job that had been started. He never even knew that it was over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~```

Hammond smiled as he gazed at Heero. The man was perfect. He would do anything they asked. Heero was the strongest human being on the planet and he was under Hammond's control. Grinning he watched as the youth's eyes flew open. 

"Troy." He whispered addressing Heero by his real name. "Get up." 

Heero stood his eyes never leaving his superior's. "Yes, sir." He barked loudly.

Hammond grinned. It wouldn't be long now. The Maxwell kid was already having his memory erased and now that Hammond knew how to rebuild the chip nothing could stop them. 

"Follow me." Hammond commanded. 

Heero glanced at him something flickering through his cobalt eyes and he nodded. "Yes, sir." He fell into step behind Hammond. 

~~~~~~~~~~```` **A day later**

Heero pulled his gun from the holster and aimed it at the sleeping child to his right was Mace his gun also drawn as he took aim at the child sleeping beneath the one Heero was looking at. To his far left was Duo an angry expression crossing his face as he cocked the trigger and held the gun mere millimeters from another the child's head. 'Your mission is to destroy all those that know about us. Starting here. Kill the people in this bunk.' The orders ran though his mind as he looked at the sleeping boy. He knew what he had to do; yet something was holding him back. 

"Now!" 

Heero didn't turn. He knew that voice it was his master, his superior. Heero pulled the trigger. The smell of three discharged weapons reached his nostrils as the sound rang in his ears, and then he heard the screams. He didn't stop though only the words echoing his mind. He had to follow orders. He took aim again his eyes falling upon a trembling little girl with midnight blue eyes. Her hair was the color of honey her lips trembling as tears spilled down her rounded cheeks. His hand shook for a moment as he looked at her and then it steadied and the girl shut her eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~````

"Bury everything." Hammond whispered as he peered into the room his eyes shutting and he turned away. "It's time to do what you were trained for your entire lives. It's time to fulfil your destiny."

Heero, Mace, and Duo stood staring blankly into the hallway as they saluted. Smith walked up beside Hammond and smiled. "I didn't think this would work, but Hammond we pulled it off." 

Hammond smiled. "The Preventers will never know what hit them." 

~~~~~~~~``` **Preventer's base the day Relena woke up**

Raven crouched outside the facility. There was no one running around the outside. It wasn't as if he'd seen the place before, but he figured it would be busier than this. He frowned and shrugged his shoulders within the suit. His muscles were starting to ache, just the way Mitchell had said they would. Raven frowned as he thought of him. He didn't know what he supposed to be feeling. He had never been raised to feel, but as he thought of him something welled in the back of his throat and threatened to spill. He didn't know what it was, but the feeling was strange and he didn't know if he liked it or not. 

Raven wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do here. He guessed that Mitchell had wanted him to come here so he could warn the base about Hammond and hopefully get him stopped. Frowning, Raven pulled further from sight wondering how he was supposed to get in if the base was on lockdown. He shifted through his training, but as Mitchell had pointed out he wasn't very advanced. His skills were limited. He was only nine and had just started his training three years ago; he didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to do. 

"Don't move kid." 

It seemed as if his problems were solved for him. Turning slowly he held up his hands and swallowed. He had been found out. He wondered if they were going to kill him, or perhaps they would only think him a child. When he saw the end of a gun pointed at him he figured he was wrong. He swallowed hard. 

"Don't move kid." The tall man with long bangs coving one eye demanded. He wasn't shaking wasn't nervous. He knew what he was doing.

"I just came…" Raven started, but he didn't know how to explain. 

"You're the one who robbed the Minister a few weeks ago. Aren't you." He narrowed his eyes a something dangerous flashed through the emerald. 

Raven swallowed. "No." He mouthed. "It wasn't me." 

"That's the suit though. Whoever did that was wearing that suit." The man pointed out. 

"It wasn't me okay. I came to warn you." Raven whispered feeling very venerable at that moment. "I just came to warn you." 

"How do I know you're telling the truth kid." He asked. 

"I came to tell you about the two Gundam pilots. I can tell you where they're at."

Trowa narrowed his eyes. "Take off the suit first." 

Raven hesitated for only a moment before stripping the bothersome suit off leaving him clad in a pair of short in a tank top. His muscles immediately sagged and he almost fell over, but he managed somehow to stay standing. The tall man reached out for it and pulled it toward him all the while never taking his eyes off of him. He was good. 

"Come toward me." The man demanded as he beckoned him with his gun. When Raven was at his side he lowered his gun. "Now walk ahead of me. We're going to see someone." 

"What's your name?" Raven asked. 

"Trowa Barton." He said stiffly. 

Raven paused. The pilot of Heavyarms no wonder he was so good. He was a Gundam pilot. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`````

Relena pulled her aching weak body out of bed and tried to make her muscles work, but she had been out for a week and everything felt like jelly. After placing one leg on the floor and trying to stand and almost falling to the floor she decided she'd better wait for Zechs to bring the wheelchair. She couldn't help but think of Heero as she sat there. Her hands gripping the sheets, she remembered the pained expression on his face. She remembered the way the man who had taken him had looked, soulless. Relena shuddered involuntarily. 

"Relena. Are you sure about this?" Zechs questioned, as he appeared in the doorway the wheelchair in front of him. 

"I know what I'm talking about. You can verify it with what you've already told me." Relena said pausing for a moment as her thoughts drifted to him. 'God I hope they couldn't do it.' 

"Just, don't strain yourself all right. You're awake for four hours and you're already demanding a meeting." He smiled forcefully. "I think you need a vacation." 

Relena couldn't think of a cheerful reply so she kept her mouth shut. 

"Hilde wants to see you." Zechs said breaking the silence and picking her up. 

Relena wrapped her arms around his neck as he lowered her into the chair. "How is she?" Relena whispered as she thought of the ebony haired girl. "She must be taking this bad." 

"Yeah, she threw herself into her work Relena. They won't let her work on this case, but she hasn't had a free moment since it happened. She's working herself to death." Zechs paused a moment and pulled the blanket from her bed and draped it over he legs. "She needs someone to talk to." As if on queue Hilde stuck her head in the doorway a small smile spreading across her pale face. 

"Rel." She whispered her voice bordering on tears. "God, I can't believe you're finally awake." Hilde bounced into the room and threw her arms around Relena's neck and hugged her. "I haven't had anyone to talk to. I was so worried." 

Relena hugged her back almost shedding some tears of her own. She motioned for Zechs to leave and pulled away from Hilde to look at her. Her eyes were bloodshot and sunken in surrounded bay dark circles. Her skin was pale and red and puffy around her cheeks from crying. "Hilde Duo wouldn't want you to do this." Relena told her sternly. 

Hilde released her hold on Relena and immediately turned away from her. "I don't want to talk about this Rel. You just woke up. We have time to talk about this later." Hilde frowned and sniffed as she turned back around and took hold of Relena's wheelchair and wheeled her into the Preventer's base hospital hallway. 

Relena was silent the rest of the way as Hilde led her toward the conference room. It didn't take them long to get there but the silence between them made it seem like an eternity. 

"Well, I'll see you when this is over." Hilde smiled and waved slowly. "I really want to talk Relena, just wait okay." 

Relena nodded and twisted the doorknob and herself through the doorway. She was surprised to find a few people she didn't know, particularly, a large gun welding green-eyed man sitting beside Lady Une. He had a boyish grin on his face and didn't appear to be any older than her brother. "Who are you?" Relena asked not really looking forward to being polite. 

"Anthony." He said simply and grinned at her. 

"The one from Dragon?" Relena asked as she remembered the story her brother had told her. 

"Yeah." 

Relena nodded. "Well I know why they took Heero and Duo and I can't tell you as much as I would like, but when Sarah wakes up she'll be able to tell you more." 

~~~~~~~~~```` **Colony**

"It seems odd to start an offensive with only three soldiers." Smith observed as he watched the three sparing each other with deadly accuracy. They were instructed not to kill, but that didn't stop them from drawing a little blood. 

"It'll grow." Hammond smirked. "All the prisoners we take will become one of us. This is only the beginning." 

They both watched as Heero, the most skilled of the soldiers, attacked Mace and Duo at the same time. All his blows were perfect everything he did was perfect. He was what Hammond had been striving for his entire life. This was what was supposed to come out of all the failed attempts. Mace and Duo were wonderful as well, but Heero's abilities surpassed them. The only thing that seemed a bit off with Troy was the way his eyes looked. When he was given an order they would darken and something would flicker behind them. He had noticed somewhat of the same occurrence in Mace, but not Duo. Faintly he wondered if he should have tried erasing his memory again, despite the possibility of killing his brain. Something about those looks unnerved him completely. 

"Get them out of there." Hammond told Smith as Mace fell to the ground. "We have a mission to brief them on." 

Smith didn't answer but turned back to the small window looking into the white training room and called into the mike. "Stop." Immediately all three of them froze in what they were doing and turned to look at him. There gazes were intense and Smith had to look away for a moment to compose himself before he turned back to them. "We have a new mission for you. Clean up and come to the briefing in the conference room." All three of them nodded and walked out of the room, mindless drones, grads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~```

Troy sat his hands on both of his arm rests and his feet flat on the floor his back was pressed against the seat as he looked straight ahead. The only thing that moved were his eyes as they scanned the room for his superiors. They were late. Troy narrowed his brow as he thought of the imperfection but remained quiet. Before too long the door to the room opened and both of them walked in Hammond with his mechanical voice, and Smith with his overly excited attitude. 

"Listen men we have a job for you. This is what you are here for, this is what you've been training for." Smith started and placed a potent look at each member of the room. "The invasion and take over of the Preventer's base." As he was speaking the light went out and the room was plunged into darkness until an overhead projector produced a bright 3-D image of the base in front of their eyes. "This is the base." 

Troy stared as something in the back of his mind twitched. He knew this place, but that wasn't possible. He'd…for a moment there was a bright white light and everything was different. Heero stared at the 3-D model. He knew what was in every room. In his mind he was running through every corridor. Heero looked to his side he saw Duo sitting next to him. That wouldn't have been so odd if it wasn't for the fact that his head was shaved almost completely bald. There was only a small amount of hair covering his skull and a long white scar across on side of his head and half way across his forehead. Turning quickly to his other side he saw a man he had never seen before, no…Heero squinted. It was the man who…Heero stood his brain in overload. What was going on? 

"Troy? Why are you standing?" 

Heero turned at the sound of the voice. It was obvious they were talking to him, but he wasn't Troy. 'What the hell is going on?' Heero backed for a couple of steps and stopped as his eyes fell on the building again the light filled his vision and he blinked. 

"Troy? What's going on? Sit down!" Smith almost yelled this time and Troy turned his gaze to the doctor. What was he doing out of his seat. He couldn't remember getting up. 

"Sorry sir." Troy said in monotone and lowered himself into the seat the outburst forgotten as he turned his attention to the screen again and listened for the rest of his instructions. 

A smile animalistic lust spread across Mace's face as he thought of the bloodshed. He liked to watch it run. He liked how it splattered when he fired his gun. He wanted to cause as much bloodshed as possible. There was no remorse in his eyes. As long as he was able to do what he wanted, as long as he was able to quench his thirst he didn't care what he was doing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```` **Preventer's base**

"So kid, Raven, where'd you get this suit." Trowa asked as he tossed it over the side of a chair in the conference room next to the one Relena was in and sat down beside and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Mitchell." Raven said slowly and flipped his long bangs out of his eyes. "Mitchell told me to come and find you." 

"Why is that?" Trowa asked not taking his intense gaze from the boy's.

"I don't know. I think he was planning to stop the doctors." Raven said slowly and broke the gaze with Trowa and looked at the floor. 

"What does this have to do with Heero and Duo?" Trowa asked in a straightforward manner. He knew for a fact that the kid was more than he seemed. He appeared to be small and naïve but Trowa could see the loss of childlike innocence in his eyes. This boy had been trained to fight, and it seemed he had seen death as well. 

"The doctors got them to fight in their new army." Raven said slowly. "Mitchell wasn't good enough. They just wanted the three." 

"Three?" 

"The one you call Heero, Mace, and Duo. They're all part of his army now." 

"How do you know this." Trowa asked as he leaned forward on his elbows. 

"Before I left the facility I saw them slaughter my army." He looked up briefly and gave a wayward smirk. "They'd just promoted me." Raven closed his eyes for a moment as if remembering something. His eyelids twitched as if he was dreaming and then they flew open. His violet orbs were burning intensely.

"Why would they slaughter your army." 

"They were done with us. They were done with Mitchell too. He was the one who stole the files. I saw Hammond shoot him. I watched him die." Only a brief flicker of emotion ran through his eyes as he said the blunt and morbid statement. His eyes didn't water his voice didn't quaver. 

"Let's go talk to the others." Trowa said suddenly and got up from his chair beckoning the boy to follow him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~````` 

****

Relena was exhausted. Her brother had been right about her condition. She was hardly ready to take on war she could hardly keep her eyes open. Once she had finished her statement Anthony filled her in on everything else she was missing. They had all the intelligence they would need. They knew who was behind this. They knew what they were doing, but they missed the most important elements. They didn't know the capabilities of the soldiers. They didn't know if they had managed to turn Heero and Duo. They had no idea where their base of operations was and what their plans were. They had so much but none of it brought them any closer to their goal. 

"So can we rule out the fact that they're not after the Gundam pilots?" Wufie asked. "I'm sick of sitting in a steel bunker." 

Lady Une turned her attention toward him. "I think that we can let you guys out of confinement and hiding. By the look of things we have a war brewing and unfortunately we have no idea where our enemy is going to attack." 

"I might be able to shed a little light on that." Trowa said from his position in the doorway. "I found something lurking outside the building." Trowa opened the door wider and out stepped a small raven-haired boy. His face held the same haunting expression Heero's did when he was completely focused on something. "This is Raven, escaped from the base Heero and Duo are at." 

Relena's eyes went wide. 'Heero?' She reached around her neck clutching her necklace reflexively. She didn't know what she would do if they had turned him. What if he was dead? How would she ever bring herself to fight the one she loved? 

Raven nodded at them. He wondered if the rest of the Gundam pilots were present and if he would stand a chance against them in a battle. He narrowed his eyes at the group for a moment and frowned. There was no guarantee they would believe him.

"Who is this?" Quatre asked. 

"Raven." Trowa said steadily. "I found him lurking outside and the turned himself in. He says he knows where the base is and I believe him." 

Anthony raised a skeptical brow and frowned. "How do you know he isn't a spy." 

"I have extensive experience in this field. I know a spy when I see one. I can tell just by the way they look, the way they carry themselves. He is not a spy." 

Raven felt a small smile of satisfaction stretch across his face. "I can tell you about the pilots you're missing." 

Lady Une looked at Trowa for confirmation and when he nodded she beckoned the boy to sit at the table with them. "Tell us, Raven, what have you seen." 

With an impeccable tone of no emotion he recited his gruesome tale. His eyes never did flicker; his voice never did waver. He told them how he had come to be with Hammond. He told them about Mitchell's death and he recounted the last thing he'd seen before he left. 

"I was in the air ducts on my way back to my bunker. I wanted to say goodbye to them and tell them to cover for me. I didn't want them getting in trouble because of me, but if they didn't know I was going to get them out they would loose hope. Mitchell had promised us a way out, but he failed. I was to make sure it didn't happen again. I was sitting over the beds about to lower myself into the room when a light in the hall filtered in and I became deathly silent. Three figures came into the room. Smith called them Troy, Duo, and Mace. They all had guns. I watched as each of them took aim at my bunkmates and fired. They killed every last one of them. I watched until the end knowing that if I moved they would detect my presence and I would die. One of them looked up at me, but he didn't shoot. I don't know why. They did everything Smith and Hammond told them to." Raven scanned the room after his little speech and found most of them sitting motionless an expression he didn't recognize on their faces. One girl in particular with long blonde hair seemed horrified. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. 'Why did she cry. There was nothing that could change it.'

****

So what do ya think?


	9. Facing an End

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_I know this chapter is way late. It's actually been finished for a long time, but with my being sick for a good month I got behind on the rest of the story and wanted to catch up before I posted this chapter. So please forgive me and thanks to Trowa, *wink*, for making me put out the rest.

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 9 'Facing an End'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`````` **Preventer's base Hospital Protective Custody** ~~~~~~~~~

"Do you have any idea why we're guarding an unconscious girl?" Markus asked as he relaxed a bit from his military stance and slouched against the wall. "I mean it's not like anyone is after her and we're here to make sure she doesn't leave." Markus shook his head and ran his hand through his short cropped blond locks and frowned. "It's a waste of time." 

Beside him Denver looked to each side making sure no one was coming and leaned back as well. He tilted his neck to both sides and cracked it loudly before stretching his arms over his head. "I have no idea." He added after a moment of stretching and after he was sure no superiors were within earshot. 

"You're such a coward." Markus observed. 

"What do you want to get grilled by that hard ass Yuy." Denver asked lowering his voice when he mentioned his superior's name. 

"Well have you seen him around lately?" Markus asked raising a brow. "The way I hear it him and that Maxwell guy have been kidnapped." 

"Where did you get that gossip shit from?" Denver asked sniggering. "Yeah right, some one caught the Gundam pilots." 

"That's just what I've heard. Plus have you seen either one of them around here in the past two weeks. If they are gone the military is keeping a tight lid on it. The reporters don't even have wind of it yet." Markus sent Denver a knowing look. "Trust me." 

"Humph." Denver snorted as Markus turned back around. "If by some half assed miracle you're right I'd say the rest of us or in for some trouble." 

"Why is that?" Markus asked as he glanced down the hallway catching sight of one of the Preventer's nurses rounding the corner and winked at her. Denver didn't answer. "Denver?" Markus called still not turning around. "Are you deaf? I said why is that." With that said Markus flipped around only to come in contact with the put of his partner's gun. Before he could even wonder who had done it he fell into blackness. 

Sarah winced and grabbed her side. Her ribs had to be broken. They ached with every move and breath she took, but she didn't know how long she had been out, but judging by the extent of her injuries she guessed a while. She had only started to regain consciousness that morning, or so she guessed. She'd asked for Troy, but the nurse had merely nodded and sent her back to sleep. She guessed she must have done a lot of incoherent ranting. The next time had been when the nurse was changing her IV and she noticed the shot that was placed into the plastic vein. Immediately after the shot was injected she began to feel drowsy. This was the first she'd woken up alone and unlike the last time there was nothing to stop her from moving. She needed to find Relena and warn her, or help, or something. 

Images of the blond woman crumpled against the conference room desk flashed through her mind with a painful accuracy of each and every detail. Everything was so vivid. What if she had not survived and no one knew the truth? Sarah winced and wished for something better than her hospital gown, but for right now it would have to do. As she slunk through the well-lit military hospital she became very aware of her other ailments. 

Her head was pounding and her right shoulder throbbing. It was likely she had dislocated it when Mace, her brother, had been beating the life out of her. Sarah stopped for a moment a painful rush of emotion sweeping over her. Her own brother…he had broken her ribs dislocated her arm, given her a concussion, and covered her body with countless bruises. Faintly she remembered the taste of her metallic blood in her mouth. Reaching her hand up, she felt for a scab or something on her lip but there was nothing. Her stomach ached terribly, but something told her it should hurt more than that. Was some sort of super healing part of her training as well? Should she be in more pain than she actually was? It was odd, just before she remembered losing consciousness she could recall her mind still working logically. She wasn't panicking at all. For some reason she was able think of a way to counter each and every blow he had sent at her, but everyone of them involved hurting him and just barely she had been able to restrain herself. It was almost scary the scenarios her mind came up with, each one bloody, each one heartless. Sarah shivered, what had happened to her? What happened to Mace?

At one time Mace had almost given his life to save her and now he wanted nothing more than to take the life he had given. It wasn't right. Sarah felt tears building her eyes as she limped foreword trying to take the pressure off her body. A few tears managed to fall down her cheeks before she heard somebody coming down the hallway. Turning to her right Sarah spun into a supply closet and left the door slightly open so she could hear what was going on outside it. The tears were forgotten for a moment and Sarah listened. 

"I have to see her. You have no idea what she had provided us with. She had given us the only lead we have against…" The soft yet weakened voice trailed off slightly and Sarah heard a swallow. "Against those that have threatened us. I have to make sure everything is being done to make sure she wakes up. She gave us the bridge that linked us with the Dragon army Une, Noin, and Sally brought back with them. Because of her we know what we're facing." 

"That kid Trowa found seemed to provide nearly the same answers Relena." Sarah listened intently wondering whom it could. "I don't trust her." Sarah snorted. 'Thanks.' 

"And you trust a child that could probably kill you and take three other's down with him before he was caught!" Sarah listened as Relena sighed and the sound of rolling wheels and feet stopped abruptly. 

"Relena you just learned that Heero and Duo might be our new enemies. I know that you loved him Relena. No matter how much I tired to ignore it I knew it was there." The man's voice softened considerably. "I know you're upset and you feel lost. You have to deal with those feelings. Heero might be your enemy. You need to focus on the now, not the past." 

"I've been at the other end of Heero's gun before." Relena stated slowly. 

"Relena, that's not…" 

A shrill voice cut him off. "Not what? Not the same? He was intent on killing me back then and if he's intent on killing me know I have to wake Sarah up. I have to talk to her because she may know how to turn him back." She trailed off suddenly. "What am I going to tell Hilde?" 

Sarah tuned them out for a moment. She should have known that was the illustrious Zechs Marquise or better known Milliardo Peacecraft. So it seemed those guards weren't posted out there to keep her in, or at least they wouldn't have been for long. That brought up another question that had alluded he before, how long? If they had gotten word that Troy was already turned she was too late. What then? Lost in her thoughts Sarah barely heard the wheels on Relena's chair moving again. Jumping out of the shadows she called after them. 

"Wait!" The scream took more out of her than she would have ever though possible and a sharp burning pain started in her chest and radiated throughout her body making her sink to her knees as they turned around. 

"Sarah!" Relena called concern etching her words. "How did…when did you wake up?" 

Sarah glanced up at the wheelchair-clad minister and wondered if she should get one of those herself. "I'm okay." Sarah whispered as she felt Zechs' arm on hers. She yanked it from his grasp her teenage pride taking over her better judgement. He had insulted her and mistrusted her why should she except help from him. It was harder to stand with no help, but she made it eventually. "I woke up and kinda panicked." She mumbled motioning down the hall. "I knocked out your guards." 

"How?" Zechs asked truly amazed. "You look as if you can barely stand." 

Sarah smirked at the slight compliment and leaned against the wall for support. "How long has it been?" 

Relena lowered her gaze. " A week. I just woke up today as well. We have news though…" She trailed off and looked up again. "It's bad. It seems your brother, Heero, and Duo are working for Hammond." 

Sarah slumped slightly. "If only I hadn't. If…" She had failed. She had come here to save Heero to warn him before it was too late and all she had managed to do was get him caught and now it was likely her brother and her long lost childhood savior would die. All the sudden she didn't feel so tough. Her journey alone from Florida to Europe was forgotten. She didn't want to remember what it had been like to hold a gun between her fingers for the first time in nine years, she didn't want to remember how she had threatened Dr. J and almost taken his life. She was only fifteen and she wanted her mother. Slumping down on the floor Sarah let the pain overtake her and the tears she had been hiding since she'd gotten the news streamed down her cheeks without a sign of stopping. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I want to be strong. I'm sorry." 

Sarah barely felt Relena's arms wrapping around her and whispering encouragement. She just held her tighter and wished that it would all go away. She just wanted her brother back. She had never wanted to be a soldier. She had never wanted this life.

"I understand how it is." Relena reassured her. "I grew up way before I was supposed to and it's all right to cry." 

Sarah smiled despite her tears and clung to the woman tightly. "Thank you." How was it that so much love seeped from her? She gave it so selflessly even when she was in so much pain herself. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ ``````` **Lady Une's Office** ```````~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me Anthony, tell me how I'm supposed to train my soldiers to defend against Heero, Duo and the others. It can't be that hard can it? There are only three of them?" Lady Une slumped into her chair and ignored the looks the others were giving her. Quatre and Wufie were in there as well as Noin and Sally. Trowa was off with the child trying to pry as much from his as possible and would be filled in later. Right now she had to learn how to defend against two of her best agents. 

"I can't tell you it'll be easy. The chips as far as we could tell enhance every ability the victim has and makes them completely loyal to the programmer. Their hearing is better. They can pick out a man seemingly walking silently from 400 feet. Their vision is better that akin to an eagle. Strength, agility, speed, need I go one?" Anthony asked raising a brow. "Telling your soldiers this will not make it easier for them." 

"Then what do you think we should do?" Quatre asked. "Send them in blindly not knowing that they will most likely die? These men and women have families." 

"That's unfortunate." Anthony said smiling sadly and shaking his head. "I know that they have families, but what is more important. If Hammond and Smith get what they want they'll have the world under their control. With the chips they'll be able to turn everyone against us." 

"I know that but…" Quatre started but Wufie cut him off.

"He is right." He said under his breath. "It will only discourage the soldiers and we need them at there best. They must be confident with they stand any chance of beating the enemy. We'll tell them who they are fighting but we'll keep their hopes up. After all there are only three." 

"It doesn't seem fair three against an army." Noin said slowly. 

"Better prepared than not. You knew Heero during the wars. He was nearly unstoppable." Sally stated. "I remember fighting along side him." The room fell into silence for a moment. 

"So we put the base on full red alert." Une said slowly. "All soldiers ready at any moment. The only question we need answered now is where will they strike." 

Quatre looked up for a moment and frowned. "I know where I would start." He paused his mind working strategically. "If I wanted to take over the world I start at its only defense." 

"The Preventer's base!" Noin cried. "There have got to be over 10,000 soldiers at the one here alone and…" She trailed off swallowing not really able to finish her own horrifying thought. 

"All of the potential enemies. All they have to do is get through the defenses knock out the ones they need, kill the ones that get in the way or the ones they don't need and they have an army." Anthony finished. "If that happens they'll be impossible to beat." 

Lady Une narrowed her eyes and threw open one of her cabinets making everyone jump including the two former Gundam pilots. "All right then. All we have to do is figure out which one they plan to hit first." She pulled out a large three-inch blinder and dropped it on the table with a loud boom. "In here I have the name of every Preventer base throughout the world and the colonies. We'll take stock of each one warn them and figure out which one would be the best to hit." 

Une opened the binder and pulled out a stack of files and handed half to Noin and half to Sally. "Those have the names of all the recruits and officers placed at four bases located in the North America, two in South America and one in Africa." She said pointing to Noin. "Get them all on alert and check out the stats. I want to know about security. I want to know what to know exactly about their location. I want to know what time they go to bed at night." She pointed to Sally next. "Yours is for the three in Europe including ours and the four in the Asia. I want to know all the weaknesses. If we let them beat us to this we're doomed."

"What do you want my army to do?" Anthony asked.

"You I want training my men. I'm naming you commanding officer along with Wufie and together you'll train my troops. Do the best you can with the small amount of time we have. Make each day count." Wufie saluted and Anthony nodded. 

Lady Une's eyes fell on Quatre lastly. "I know you were the leader in the last battle against White Fang. I know that you are one of the best strategist of this time and I want you to do the impossible." 

"What's that?" Quatre asked even though he already knew. 

"I want you to figure out a way to beat Heero and Duo. I want you to analyze any weaknesses they had and make them work for us. Noin and Sally are to come to you with any leads. I need to you to call the shots. Your intuition is very valuable." Lady Une couldn't help the frown that crossed her face when she looked at the pain in Quatre's soulful blue eyes. 

"What do you want me to do?" Trowa asked, as he suddenly appeared at the door his hand on the shoulder of the small boy he'd found earlier that morning. 

"Trowa. You're to go to the base where Heero and Duo are being held and gather as much intelligence as possible. Take the kid with you. He knows how to get around in there. You'll leave after taking a sort briefing with me and come back when you have gathered sufficient intelligence." Lady Une bit her lip as guilt overwhelmed her. She was possibly sending Trowa to his death, but she had no other choice. 

~~~~~~~~~~`````` **Hilde and Duo's house late that afternoon** ```````~~~~~~~~~~

Hilde felt her breathing hitch again as she tried to breath normally. She didn't know what to do. She had cried so many tears there weren't any left. The only thing that escaped her throat were silent screams and the occasional moan of agony. She didn't want to be like this, weak and crying over Duo. She knew that at least he was alive, but what he had become…that was something she could never imagine. Duo wasn't Duo anymore. 

Putting her hand over her mouth Hilde closed her eyes a painful sting running through them as she shut her dry lids. Her delicate hand balled into a fist in front of her mouth and the ring that Duo had slipped on her finger only a year ago glinted in the darkness. She would probably never see him again. 

"Hilde?" 

Hilde sat up quickly and tried smoothing her hair with her fingers and wiped her face where long since shed tears had left dried glistening paths of pain on her cheeks. "Come in." She croaked and cleared her throat for a moment trying to get it to sound normal again. "I'm in the kitchen." Hilde pushed her chair away from the table and headed toward the kitchen light, but it flipped on before she could get to it. Before her stood Relena, standing now, though her face was very pale. 

"I rang the bell but no one answered." Relena said slowly and took a few steps into the room giving Hilde a once over. 

"I was about to…cook dinner." Hilde said off handedly waving her hand at the cabinets. "I was concentrating on what I was going to make. Sorry." 

"Oh." Relena said her voice indicating that she didn't believe a word of what Hilde was saying but she didn't voice her concern. 

Hilde moved back toward her chair and sat down pushing her short locks behind her ears and smiling slowly. "How are things? I heard you were talking to the President today." 

Relena shrugged. "I did the best I could with trying to convince him, but we don't have any really concrete evidence. They want proof and what we have isn't enough to send everyone into alert. He is taking precautions. He's beefed up security on the Preventer bases, but that's it." She sank into a chair across from Hilde her long blond locks spilling over her shoulder in waves. Her brow was creased in worry and she looked exhausted. 

"Relena you want some tea or something?" Hilde asked taking in her weary friend with concern. It was good to think of someone else and not dwell on Duo. "You look so beat." 

"Actually yeah." Relena her fingers shaking a bit as she tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. "I've been doing so much today and I felt ready to collapse when I first awoke this morning." 

"You should have rested." Hilde told her going to the cabinet and pulling out a pack of tea. "You shouldn't have done so much your first day awake." 

"I had to." Relena said slowly no contempt or remorse in her words. There was only fact. She knew she was a calming influence. She knew it was her responsibility to unite the people. 

"Still," Hilde began, "it was a lot to take on." Hilde trailed off as she put the pot on the stove and went back to sit at the table. Relena was looking at the table's wooden surface her fingers tracing one grain lightly. 

"I wanted to be the one to tell you." Relena said suddenly as her head shot up her aqua eyes brimming with tears. "I was so devastated when I heard. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I wanted you to hear it from somebody that understood what you were going through. I'm sorry." 

Hilde swallowed the pain and the tears that had somehow regained purchase and were threatening to fall again. "I-I don't know what to think." Hilde whispered as she put her hand over her mouth again and swallowed. "I love him Relena. We were going to have children together and if what we hear is right he'll either die or I will. It seems like it's all over." 

"I know." Relena said slowly as a single tear slipped down her cheek before she could wipe it away like the others. "I know." She swallowed heavily and tried a smile but it wouldn't cover her face. She didn't feel like smiling at all. "I did the same thing you're doing." Relena said weakly. "I cried. I wondered and I realized that none of it was doing me any good. I don't know if he's gone yet. It might not be true." 

Hilde nodded. "I know that but sometimes it's hard for me to look at that." They both fell into a deep silence only broken by the sound of the teapot whistling. Hilde hopped to her feet and took it off the lit burner and placed it on another one to cool before she took her seat again. 

"Hilde." Relena said. "We need your help." 

Hilde cocked her head to the side. "What for?" 

"I've reinitiated the production of mobile suit and I need you to teach them how to fly them." Relena kept her gaze firm and didn't waver when Hilde started to shake her head. 

"Relena what if…I can't not when there's a chance…" 

"Please Hilde I'm asking you not only as a Preventer, but as a friend. I need your help. We don't have anyone as skilled as you are. I'm not asking you to fly one I'm just asking you to train them. I'd never ask you to pilot one if you didn't want to." 

Hilde looked away from Relena's intense gaze and settled in on the teapot as she pushed the tears away and replaced them with resolve. For now anyway she had to put it behind her. "All right. I'll do it." 

"Thank you." Relena whispered. "I'm sorry to ask. I really am, but I wanted to do it in person. I wanted to make sure this was your choice and not an order."

~~~~~~~```` **Preventer's Base: Central Europe Cinq Kingdom 1am**``~~~~~~~~

Quatre leaned over his glowing computer console and blinked trying to make his eyes focus on the blurring words and numbers. A few hours ago they had been short statistics and descriptions but now they were nothing but a blurring mass of black and white. Quatre let his platinum blond head slam onto the desk as he groaned and reached to his side wrapping his fingers around his cup of coffee. This was too much. On the screen he was trying to figure out how to take out two of his closest friends and to his other side he had stakes of bases and reports to review and get back to Lady Une on. 

Quatre lifted his head and took a lengthy sip from his cup and set it back on the table and turned from the screen to the files. Quatre was really sure why but he didn't feel as if he needed to check out the other bases. Something told him that the strike was going to come to the Cinq kingdom Preventer's base. It wasn't the most logical or even strategically sound approach, but something nagged at him telling him to forget the rest and focus on here. Of course he had already told Lady Une how he felt. She had backed him up of course but encouraged him to keep looking. He had no proof and what she needed was proof. 

"Hey Quatre, I've got another stack for you to look though. I figured I give it a run over with you just to make it easier." 

Quatre looked up to see Noin striding into the room holding two files and smiling wanly. "Sure Noin." Quatre said removing a few of his book from the other seat around hi computer and patting it so she knew she could sit. 

"Yeah well these don't look as if they'll be any help. Most of the recruits on the base in Oregon are new. The place did just start up and would be fairly easy to penetrate, but the skills of the recruits are limited." She flipped open the file and pulled out a roster. "Take a look at this. There are only two hundred men here and none of them have even started special ops." 

Quatre forced his eyes open and scanned over the list. She was right. These men weren't what he would be looking for. Quatre rubbed his reddening eyes and set the file on top of the others. "That looks about right." 

Noin paused before she opened the next file and frowned. "Quatre, you've said just about the same thing about every file. Where do you think it will happen." 

"In my gut I feel like they're coming here. It doesn't make any sense at all. This is the largest base the most secure, the most personal! We have three Gundam pilots on part time and full active duty. There's you, Zechs, Sally, and Lady Une as well as countless other people who fought in this war working here, but something tells me this is where they're going to come." Quatre frowned and looked at his computer. "I'm supposed to stop them though." 

"We're supposed to stop them." Noin stated and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't even know if everything the kid said is true. He could be wrong. Maybe it's not Heero and Duo." 

Quatre laughed slowly his voice not truly veiling in happiness. "Optimism, I used to be good at that."

Before Noin could say anything else the com-link on her belt beeped. Noin set the file on the desk and picked up the pager. "What is it?" She asked and turned up the volume so Quatre could listen. 

"Col. Noin this is Lt. Marks on sector twelve security. A silent alarm was tripped in the south wing ten minutes ago. I sent one of me men to check it out, but he hasn't returned. I need back up and I'm awaiting orders." 

Noin froze unable to look at Quatre knowing his eyes mirrored the fear seeping into her chest. "Stay alert Lt. we are sending back up. Stay where you are. Do you copy stay there." 

"But, ma'am these are the new recruit barracks some of these men just arrived. They have no skills and no way of defending themselves." 

"I repeat. Stay where you are!" Noin called into the mike. "Don't abandon post. We're calling back up this very second. Over" Noin looked up to see Quatre calling Une. 

"Sir I hear something. I'm just going to peek out my door. Over." 

"Dammit. I told you to stay Marks! Marks?" 

~~~~~~``` **Sector Twelve Security booth** ````~~~~~~~

Troy grabbed hold of the shaking boy and looked him in the eye for a moment. The youth was shaking and his fingers were wrapped loosely around his own arm in a feeble attempt to pull himself free. Troy cocked his head to the side and gave the boy's neck a violent twist before dropping him to the floor in an unconscious heap. There wasn't even a good struggle with that one. 

Troy frowned. He wanted a good fight. He wanted a reason to shed some blood and the way things were working out it didn't seem as if it was going to be possible. 

"Marks! Marks?" 

Troy turned away for the unconscious youth and too the surveillance equipment. After switching off the link he pulled himself into the chair and let his fingers fly across the keyboard hacking into files and changing things to the way he wanted them. Within moments a bright red light began flashing overhead and an ear piercing alarm rang through out the corridors.

Troy flipped the switch on the earpiece securely wrapped around the outside of his ear and spoke. "Mace, Duo this is Troy phase one is complete. Move on to phase two."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``` 

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OH that was kinda evil, but what do you think of this chapter. Not much action true, but the next one promises to be full of it. Next chapter is also done and should be out by this time next week!


	10. Attack

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Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_Tried to get this chapter out sooner. Tell me what you think! 

Perfect Soldiers 

Chapter 10 'Attack'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Inside Preventer's base an hour before the initial attack** ````

Trowa pulled a black turtle neck shirt over his head and shook his hair as the fabric brushed it in his eyes and he settled the fabric around the waistband of his dark cargo pants. Glancing to his side briefly he caught sight of Raven looking at him intently. Turning from the child's disturbingly grown up gaze he dove back into his locker and pulled on a pair of gloves. When he was done with that he sat back on the hard wooden bench of the base's locker room and pulled on his boots. 

"Why do you trust me?" Raven asked his violet gaze falling on Trowa's green one. 

"Don't know." Trowa said slowly not really willing to reveal too much to the child. A lot of the reason's he trusted the kid were because of his past and that was something he didn't have time to dive into at the moment. Falling from the kid's stare Trowa laced his boot and tightened the strings as he pulled them into a secure bow. 

"I don't know why I trust you either." The kid said slowly. 

This time when Trowa looked up he was looking at the lockers instead of him. Trowa wondered briefly what kind of emotions flickered around in his hard exterior. Was he a through and through perfect soldier like they had though Heero was for so long? Was there anything inside him? He obviously held some subtle feelings of love because of his devotion to his crew but there were no tears in his eyes when he had revealed their fate or that he had watched. Nothing but a flicker when he had said he watched Mitch die. Not knowing what to say Trowa reached to his right and grabbed the dark suit the kid had been wearing when they had first met. 

"Put this on." He tossed it at him, which he promptly caught between his unbelievably small fingers. "There's a device installed into the suit." Trowa started intent of having the boy's full trust. He had to tell him everything. "If you turn on me I can turn it off and I'll apprehend you." 

Clutching the suit tighter for a moment he looked up his black locks falling in his eyes. "So you don't trust me completely." It was a statement not a question. 

"No," Trowa said firmly. "I trust you but the base is a little wary of your capabilities in that suit. We're just prepared." 

"I understand." Raven said finally and pulled the suit over his legs and slipped his arms into it. He could feel the tiny censors in the body of soft army as they sent the shocks through his muscles. It tingled for a moment and was almost painful before it stopped and Raven could feel the unnatural power. He didn't like it. He never did. 

Trowa frowned and tucked his gun in the holster at his side before he called over to Raven. "Let's go. We have a short window according to the schedule you told us about." 

Raven slid into step behind Trowa his eyes focusing on the gun clipped to his side. "Where's mind?" Raven asked. 

Trowa stiffened. He didn't want to give a gun to a ten-year-old child. It was wrong even if he knew the boy could us it. Trowa would defend him the boy would have no blood on his hands to worry about. "Have you ever killed anyone?" Trowa answered with a question. 

"No." Raven said without hesitation, "But I could if I needed to." 

"Taking your first life is nearly unbearable." Trowa said as they left the locker room and the both of them started to jog down the corridor toward the shuttle. "And you remember their face for the rest of your life. In fact I remember the face of all those I've killed. Even the ones I never saw I hear the screams in my sleep. I wish I'd never pulled that trigger so many years ago, but I can't dwell in the past. I'm going to make sure you keep that innocence as long as humanly possible." 

Raven was silent the rest of the way down the hall. Trowa thought he was just satisfied with the answer, but he was thinking. His little man turning with the information and trying to make sense of it. All his military training didn't apply to that statement. Even if he was prideful of the fact that he had held onto enough humanity to know the difference between right and wrong, whether an order was ethical or not Trowa's words only caused question to flash though his mind. As the two of them were strapped into the shuttle and they flew away. Raven reached across the isle and tapped Trowa on the shoulder. 

"I'm not innocent." Raven said steadily. "I've seen too much to ever be innocent. Why are you so intent of protecting something that isn't there?" 

Trowa smiled lightly before answering. "You have no idea the places innocence lies. No matter what we've seen some people keep it throughout their lives. You're soul is not tainted with the blood of others." 

Raven flinched visibly before turning back to stare at the multi-colored pattern of the shuttle chair. "I do have the blood of others on my hands. I was supposed to protect my army and I failed. They were my responsibility and I let them get shot without even lifting a finger. So you see I can't be innocent. I have a soul bloodier than yours." 

Trowa looked after the youth but the boy never did turn to meet his gaze. The child's voice was still so callused as he resisted his presumed doomed destiny. He just excepted it as fact. He did dwell on it or let guilt, unneeded to him eat him away it was complete and total acceptance of fact. It may be wrong but Raven knew no other way of thinking and nothing Trowa could say would change that. No matter the how boy like his features were Trowa had to remember the boy was still a soldier. 

~~~~~~`````` Colony outside the Facility 

Raven glanced at his watch and counted. When he was at ten he signaled Trowa and the both of them sprinted across the yard toward the vent he had crawled out of. When he reached twenty they both were in the vent and the lid was just being slid back into place when a guard marched around the corner and glanced over the yard his flashlight waving from side to side. Raven couldn't help the smile that came over his face at his victory. The guards here were too predictable. 

Swallowing his momentary pride Raven started forward again counting his steps as he went. He had decided early on that he would take Trowa to the locker room. It was the furthest away from the hospital facilities but he didn't know which room the three soldiers were bunking in and running into them wasn't an option. Turning he headed down the completely darkened shaft and finally reached the locker room vent. He wondered if his absence had been noticed among his bunkmates. He wondered if they noticed he wasn't there as they buried the blood carcasses of his 'family'. He doubted they had. 

He landed on the floor his booted feet not making a sound on the slick floor as Trowa slid out and landed at his side. An odd feeling rushed over him as he looked around the room. This was the last place he'd been before he left. He had watched Mitchell die in here. He narrowed his eyes in the gloom trying to pick something out but there was nothing in there. They were alone and for the moment safe. 

"I'm not sure where the doctors are right now. If I know them correctly they're either in the lab or sleeping." Raven glanced at his watch one more time and pressed the button as the numbers slowly illuminated. "It's already past one. They're probably asleep." 

"We can use that to our advantage. We can check out their research and bring back whatever we think will be useful. Next we try and find out where Heero and Duo are." Trowa started across the room and Raven started to follow but his eyes were frozen on Trowa's feet. He'd stepped in the same place Mitchell had died on. The floor was slightly discolored under the older man's boot. 

__

Mitchell's weakened body twitched as blood ran from his chest in waves and surrounded his torso. His eyes were rolling and the blood dribbled down his chin making a red trail down the white skin of his face. Mitchell had never looked anything other than the hardened soldier, but lying his own pool of blood shock in his eyes he had never looked so childlike. He looked as if he was about to call out to his mother creating a perfectly grotesque scene. 

"Raven." Trowa hissed for the third time. "Which way from here?" 

Raven looked up suddenly as if he had just heard Trowa's words. He had been so caught in the past, so lost. "I'll lead the way." Raven said his voice showing no indication of his current feelings. He needed to get out of this room and then he would be okay. Unconsciously he sidestepped the darkened portion of the floor and led Trowa to the door. Mitchell's words still echoed in his mind as he pulled the door open. It was if Mitchell's ghost was hanging over him reminding him.

__

"Can't save…Get out….take the suit, Preventers." 

He could still see his empty eyes as he died. He would keep he promise; soldiers looked after each other. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```````` **Preventer's base Anthony's army's barracks**

Sarah woke with a start. Her body was humming and her mind was running to the same tune. She had felt a lot better that afternoon her injuries hardly bothering her as much. Even though Relena had insisted that she come home with here Sarah had said she'd rather stay there. She wanted to help. There weren't many open rooms in the building with it being on full alert all. They had placed her with Anthony's army telling her she could train with them when the time came, that is if she wanted to fight. Now sitting up she could hear a deep ringing all around her. The lights overhead were flashing and she was the only one still asleep. The pills they had given her must have really worked on dulling her senses. A few of the soldiers were still in the room but most of them were gone. Pulling herself to her feet Sarah walked toward on seemingly guarding the door and tapped his shoulder. 

"What's going on?" She asked her head still foggy from the medicine. 

"We don't know. All the doors in the facility are locked. We can't get out and no one can get in." He gazed down the hall. "Or at least no one has been in her yet." 

"They attacked?" Sarah asked. "With only three they attacked?" 

The man nodded. "Yeah. Colonel Talban sent out four groups to check the entire perimeter and report back. I'm standing guard. They're going to try and get into the weapons sector, but that door has an automatic lock too." 

Sarah swallowed she wasn't really listening anymore. Mace was out there somewhere. Though she could still see the hard cold eyes and his unforgiving voice as he beat her within an inch of her life she still wondered why he hadn't killed her. He had the gun and the opportunity. He could have easily ended her life, but he hadn't. That had to mean he remembered something. Her head was clearing surprisingly quickly with the knowledge of her brother's presence and with lightening fast reflexes he slipped past the guard and into the halls the alarm rang in her ears and the lights flashed as she headed down the hall hoping to find a way out. Just as she reached the first turn off the alarm stopped and the building was silent as she was plunged into darkness. 

A deep panic seized her chest as the seconds ticked by and still there was nothing the light didn't flicker back to life and her ears was searching frantically for a sound. She was completely vulnerable in the darkness. Every sound no matter how insignificant made her head swivel to the side and her breath come in quickened gulps. They had a plan and she wondered just briefly what it was. Where they going to massacre them in the darkness. She could see blood running off the walls around her. Swallowing Sarah leaned against the wall panic taking her over. She may have had training but nothing scared her more than the darkness. She remembered the darkness. It had been dark when they'd taken her. It had been dark when she was all alone and her brother left her. It was dark, darkness that would bring her end she always knew it.

Sinking to the floor he let her head hang between her knees as she tried to will her body to move despite the paralyzing fear that over whelmed her. It was so dark that night. So dark, Sarah could feel their fingers reached for her, pulling her out of bed. Her scream was lost somewhere in a funny smelling cloth and when she woke it was darkness still. There were noises all around her, voices she didn't understand and languages foreign to her. 

~~~~~~~~````` Ten** minutes after the lights were cut off**

Mace waited until the noise inside the facility died down and he pulled the goggles over his eyes and immediately the world was illuminated. A half smile crossed his face and he dropped into the long stretch of a hallway and looked to his side. According to the files they had studied on this particular building there were very few recruits, but most of the weapons were stored in the lower sector of the building. He would have no problem working his way through even if the recruits were milling in the halls. He was the only one who could see and their bodies would pile in front of him like treasures and their blood would run like rivers. 

__

"I don't want you to leave me alone. I'm scared of the dark." 

Mace shook his head as the voice invaded his mind yet again. He hadn't been able to shake it since he kidnapped Maxwell. It was always there and when he least expected it the voice would pop up sometimes female sometimes it sounded a lot like his own but always the message was cryptic. He never understood why it came or the doubt that was sometimes associated with it. He didn't need doubt. It was useless for what he was trained for, yet he couldn't shake it. As much as he craved the blood that ran from his victims he dreaded it. Part of him longed for it begged him to do, told him he would go crazy without it, and the other was almost shaking with it's insistence that it was wrong. Right now his bloodlust was higher, but he wondered if eventually the dread would take over. 

"I think there's a breaker box at the end of this hall." 

Mace sneered all thoughts leaving his mind for the moment as he focused on the unsuspecting victims walking right toward their doom. There were three of them their arm out trying to feel for obstructions that might block their paths and their steps short and small. Mace stopped walking so not to make any noise and watched them. 

"I think if I can get to it I might be able to rig up the emergency light." 

"How do you know there's a breaker box in the hall at all. We just got here yesterday." Another soldier added he was trailing behind the first. 

"I was exploring. I don't like to be around too long without knowing my perimeters it's a I don't know…you know I can't shake it." 

The third soldier snorted. "Tell me about it." 

Mace smiled and pulled his gun slowly from his side holster. The movement hardly made a sound. There was just a dull and very slight 'click' as screwed the silencer in place. No one other than someone with his training would have been able to hear it. But instead of their oblivious walk into death he had been anticipating all three stopped and looked ahead their eyes narrowing considerably. Mace froze almost feeling the urge to hide, but he stifled the feeling when he remembered they couldn't see him. 

"Did you hear that?" The first guy asked as he leaned against the wall and strained to see into the darkness. He lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned toward the others. "Can you see anything?" The others muffled short low 'no's' before all of them fell silent. 

Mace wanted to step back but they had heard him so easily when he had made hardly any noise at all and now they were actually listening. They had said they'd only been there for a day. How was it possible that they could be so skilled and if they were where had they been before. He was in charge of weapons not people, that was Duo's forte for the night, not his, he was supposed to raid the weapon's locker where he would have a transport waiting for him on the roof in approximately. Mace paused as the internal clock that ticked inside his brain remembered, 43 minutes. He was behind schedule. Mace balked internally with the thought. He'd let himself get distracted. Ignoring the rest of the conversation and focusing on this mission Mace pulled up the pistol with the silencer in place and aimed it at the first soldier. 

"There it is again. Did you hear that right in front of…" He never got to finish the rest of his sentence as his face was blown away. A spray of blood through of the deadly accurate shot and sprayed his companions, pieces of his skull splattering against the wall with a sickening slap before they slid to the floor. 

The others barely had time to react to the moisture covering their bodies before Mace took aim again. He shot at the second one puncturing his chest with two bullets. At the close range both bullets ran through the man and out his back and became embedded in the wall. For the last one he did the same shooting him in the chest. Mace watched the dark green colored blood run from the victims through the night vision goggles. His head cocked to the side Mace allowed him just a second more to savor the victory before he turned and ran. He knew exactly where the weapons were kept. 

Mace's mind didn't have room for anything else but his mission. He was already behind and that was enough to spur his superhuman ability into overdrive. He wasn't going to miss his deadline. Just as he rounded the corner and headed down the hall that lead to the weapons room he heard a short muffled cry. It was a girl. Mace's feet stopped even though he was telling himself to ignore it. He couldn't understand what it was that was attracting him. The sound echoed through the hall calling him. Whoever was making the noise didn't seem to realize how loud they were. Mace turned away from the path to his mission and headed toward the cry completely unsure of why he was doing it.

~~~~~~~~~```` **Preventer's base main building after talking to Lt. Marks**

Quatre pulled his pistol out of his pocket and charged toward the base door to get outside. He was sure whatever was happening they needed help. Beside him Noin was doing the same. The red lights continued to flash overhead giving a blinking strobe light effect. Everything around them was disorienting and confusing. 

"Why the hell did he leave an alarm on?" Noin asked. As they raced down the hall the door already in sight. 

"Confusion." Quatre said without a second glance. "It's a strategic method. He's alerting everybody phycing us out before he throws a major loop and plunges us into," Quatre trailed off as the noise stopped and the lights stopped flashing, "complete darkness." 

"Great he gets us all comfortable with, at least, something we're familiar with. We have these drills all the time, but the end doesn't generally involve complete darkness." Noin confirmed as she reached her hand out trying to find Quatre in the darkness. 

"Exactly. They're hoping for some panic." Quatre said catching hold of Noin's hand. He looked toward where she should be and narrowed his eyes, finding nothing, and turned back down the hall. He could just make out the glowing keypad in the distance. "At least he left that still on. We can get out." Releasing her hand, the both of them jogged toward the glowing keypad. 

"I have a bad feeling about this." Noin said as Quatre reached his hand out to press the buttons.

Quatre shrugged his face and shoulders partially illuminated in the glow of the numbered keys. Leaning over the small box Quatre punched in the numbers and watched as they appeared on the screen in front of him. Lastly he pressed enter and waited for the door to open. It only took a couple of seconds before the console beeped loudly and a new message scrolled across the small rectangular screen. 'Access Denied.' 

"How did I know that was going to happen." Noin said absently and looked over her shoulder. "Lets go find Sally she was still working on those files." Quatre turned to follow her and when they were consumed by blackness he ran into her back when she stopped abruptly. 

"Wait." She said fumbling through her pockets. "I have this." She pulled out a small box and flipped a switch on the side. A small green phone looking keypad lit up. "It's an emergency device kind of like a pager. I have it linked to Milliardo and Relena. I can send them a worded message. If it will still go through they might be able to do something about it." 

"Get Relena to get Hilde on the line. I want her to tap into the base files and try to override this system. Heero taught her a lot of his tricks when she joined the Preventers and she's the only hacker I can think of that might have a chance of defeating her master." 

"How do you know it's him?" 

Quatre looked away his face plunged into the shadows hiding his expression. "I can feel it. Just like I knew they would come here. I know that's Heero's work, and because it is I have to carry out a plan to end his life." 

~~~~~~~~~~ **Hilde's house five a couple of minutes later** ```

Relena woke with a start her hand flying to her waist where her small square like pager was vibrating against her side. Stifling the cry that had threatened to escape her throat for Hilde's sake she pulled it from the waist of her business suit and tried to read what was scrolling across it in the darkness, but her eyes were still blurry from sleep. Groaning, Relena reached to her left lifting her self to a sitting position. She must have fallen asleep while talking to Hilde earlier that evening. As she lifted herself she noticed a small blanket falling around her waist. Hilde must have draped it over her. Flicking on the lamp she caught the tail end of the scrolling message. '…hack into files and over run Heero's system.' Relena narrowed her eyes and rubbed them and tried to clear her vision before the scrolling message started again. 

'This is Noin. The Preventer's headquarters have been hacked into. The entire building is on lockdown. We can't get out. We think it's Heero, Duo, and Mace. The computer codes are all altered. We need you to do whatever you can to change that and give us our advantage back. Get Hilde to hack into files and over run Heero's system.' 

Relena almost dropped the pager in her lap. Everything they had been told was right. Heero and Duo they were… Her thoughts trailed off and instead of the sorrow she had felt earlier there was nothing. A dull numbness rushed over her body and a cold shiver raced throughout her. 

"What's up Rel?" 

Relena turned her head not exactly sure what she was looking like but the way Hilde sent her a concerned glance she knew her face revealed her shock. "The Preventer's base as been attacked." 

"Oh God." Hilde said shortly unable to say what she feared. 

"It was them. Heero changed all the file codes. Our people are trapped inside. They can't get out." Relena said shortly. "They want you to hank into the system and override his commands." 

Hilde swallowed slowly. "Are they sure?" 

"Noin says it's them." Relena said glancing out her window. "We have to get some back up out there before it's too late. My brother, I'll call him and President McKinley." 

Hilde was already pulling her small flat laptop out of its case and booting it up. As soon as she logged into the Preventer's security her computer was bombarded with pass codes and request denied messages. It was a mess. "I'll do everything I can here Relena. Heero taught me a lot and I like to think he taught me everything I know." 

Relena pulled on her shoes still feeling numb with shock and disbelief. She didn't have much time. So many lives depending on her, again, she wouldn't fail couldn't fail, but deep down she wondered if Heero was their enemy now if she'd ever be able to stop. She wondered if when it came down to it she'd be able to sit back and let someone kill him. 'Don't you give up Heero. I know you're in there somewhere.' 

Just as she was going to the phone to call her brother, who had probably already gotten the message a loud explosion ran in her ears and shook Hilde's small military issue house. Relena raced to the window and peeked out. The sky was an orange inferno around the Preventer's base building the flames lapping at the night sky as if they were trying to reach the moon. 

"Relena, that the main building." Hilde said swallowing and for the first time Relena noticed Hilde behind her. 

"Oh God Noin, Quatre, Sally!" Relena gasped. "I've got to get to the building. They might be trapped inside." Relena started toward the door, but Hilde grabbed her arm. 

"I'm coming with you." 

"You can't Relena said pulling out of her friend's grasp. You have to open those doors. Hilde if they're trapped inside where the fire is burning they can't get out!" 

"It's dangerous out there." Hilde said slowly. "**They're** out there." 

Relena frowned. "I know." She looked past Hilde and back to the burning building. "I have to do something. I have my cell I'll call Milliardo on the way and then McKinley, but I can't just sit here!" 

"All right hold on." Hilde said. "Just wait one second." Hilde scrambled down her short hallway and into her and Duo's bedroom. She opened the door in the nightstand just beside her bed and pulled out a black Preventer issue pistol and grabbed a pair of jeans and a pair of sneakers out of her closet. She ran as quickly as she could back into the room and shoved the items at Relena. "Put these on. You won't be able to do anything in that dress and those shoes and take this." Hilde held out the gun feeling kind of guilty at even offering the gun to the pacifist. 

Relena starred at it steadily for a moment before her shaking finger wrapped around the cold steal and she forced her hand to hold onto it. "Thank you." She whispered and turned to the door. 

"Be careful Relena. Just be careful." Hilde pleaded with her and waited until the blond was in her car and driving away before she turned back to her laptop panic seizing her. She didn't know if she could do this. Taking a deep breath Hilde plunged into the system and started to decode slowly. Something had to work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`````````````

Duo grinned as he dropped through the ventilation shaft into the dark barrack. The doors to this barrack had been locked and everyone was trapped inside. He could see them, panicked, milling around with no purpose, unorganized, disgraceful. His night vision goggles gave him a view no one else could have. And the gas mask wrapped around his face made him invincible.

"What was that noise?" He heard one of the soldiers' shout, scared, pathetic. 

Duo grinned wider and pulled a capsule out of his pocket and pulled the plug a thick odorless gas began to seep from the small tube and surround the occupants of the room. In a matter of seconds they began coughing and gasping their faces turning red. He could see a deep green blood running from some of their noses and down their chins as they coughed and sputtered unable to breathe in the new atmosphere he had created. Within two minutes all the soldiers were passed out. 

Duo flipped a switch on the side of his helmet. "O one this is O two." 

"Copy that. Are you on schedule?" 

"The barrack is secure. Standing by for evacuation and door codes." Duo shifted slightly and scratched his arm through his protective suit. He could feel the deep scar on his arm as he scratched it, but for now he ignored the pain. 

"Xy76b24." Troy said steadily over the system. "Evacuation is on the way. Load up as many as you can in a minute and a half then you're out of here." 

"Copy." Duo said slowly and made his way toward the door stepping over bodies in the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`````` 

****

So…?


End file.
